The Curative Career of Kaori the Ninja Nurse
by Kopykat Kakashi
Summary: Kaori is assigned to watch over Kakashi as he lies in a coma after Itachi's attack. She falls in love with him as she projects her own ideas of a perfect man. Meanwhile Lee thinks she'd be perfect for his sensei. New: Epilogue, Complete!
1. Paperwork

_Summary: After Itachi's Tsukuyomi attack Kakashi falls into a coma and Kaori, his nurse, falls in love while caring for him. _

_(Gai?)xKaorixKakashi_

_Author's Notes: Kaori is the only nurse ever seen at the shinobi hospital. She doesn't have a surname so I used the surname of Rukia from Bleach. Otoha is a nurse seen without her uniform at the bath house. None of the medics is actually an original character. I do own Kaori's relatives who do not appear in Naruto as far as I know._

**The Curative Career of Kaori the Ninja Nurse**

**_Part 1: Paperwork_**

Things were finally calming down at the shinobi hospital since the war with the Sound. Most of those injured during the battles had been happily discharged. There were still a few long term cases like that of unfortunate genin Rock Lee, whose bones were crushed in the chuunin exams even before the war, but sadly there were always a few chronic cases since the premiere shinobi medic and legendary sannin, Tsunade, left many years ago.

The nurse on duty, Kuchiki Kaori, now finally had a chance to catch up on paperwork – a lot of it, piled in three one foot stacks on the desk that she shared in rotation with the other nurses. It seemed her predecessor had scarcely made a dent. She sighed and picked up a folder, wishing very badly that she knew some jutsu that would automatically take care if it all.

Before she finished the first stack of reports, there was a ruckusby the main doors. A bizarre man in a hideous green jumpsuit came in carrying a body carelessly slumped over his shoulder. Kaori immediately pressed the emergency button to summon a medic.

"He's been out for over two hours now. We thought he just needed a rest, you know Kakashi's chakra stamina is nowhere as good as mine, but he's not waking up…"

"Gai you go after Sasuke, I'll fill them in," an attractive kunoichi in a red and white dress interrupted as Iashi, the medic on duty arrived.

"Right, Kurenai, I'll leave him to you."

Iashi wheeled in a bed where Gai deposited his human bundle.

"Kaori, hook him up to an IV and take his vitals," Iashi, ordered as he gave Kurenai a form to fill out. Kaori pushed the bed into a room in the ICU.

"Umm…isn't all this information in the system?" Kurenai frowned at the unnecessary paperwork. Her red eyes seemed to dim at the prospect.

"Fill in as much as you can and we can pull the rest off the system," Iashi compromised. '_Sigh, these shinobi just don't understand the necessity of proper admittance procedures.' _He took out a pen and another form and started asking questions, "Okay, what happened?"

"Uchiha Itachi is what happened," Kurenai said angrily with a flip of her dark hair. "He came back for what was apparently not a friendly visit. Asuma and I tried to question him, but he and his companion were too strong," she admitted reluctantly. "Kakashi saved us, but then Itachi used some kind of special doujutsu associated with his sharingan. Kakashi told Asuma and me to keep our eyes closed so we didn't actually see what happened. Kakashi said that he had protection against Itachi because of his sharingan, but one second Kakashi and Itachi were talking, next second we could hear Kakashi in pain and collapsing. I don't think they physically moved toward each other. Luckily, Gai showed up at the last second and they decided it was too risky to continue. We brought Kakashi home first - you know how he hates hospitals..."

Iashi nodded, "Yes, he's missed his annual checkup for the past five years or more." He frowned in disapproval. '_These shinobi just don't understand the importance of annual checkups.'_

"Anyway, after two hours, he still wasn't coming around. Then Uchiha Sasuke found out his brother was in town and took off after him. Gai just left in pursuit, Asuma is filing the report with the elders, and here I am doing paperwork." Kurenai sighed as she looked at the lines requesting Kakashi's ninja registration number (no idea), address (okay, she knew that one), medical history including parental background and allergies (no idea again), closest living relative (none that she knew of), contacts (she tentatively put her own name down). She returned the mostly blank form back to Iashi.

Iashi took all the forms, handed them over to Kaori, who just returned after setting up the patient, and ordered her to fill in the rest. "Thank you Kurenai-san. We'll take it from here. It looks like you could use some rest as well."

Kurenai nodded tiredly and left the shinobi medic to his work. Iashi followed Kaori into the ICU room where Kakashi lay with an IV saline drip hooked up to his left arm, and a blood pressure/pulse monitor attached to his right arm. Iashi took out a penlight and shone it into Kakashi's eyes. Then he hooked up another instrument to monitor Kakashi's brainwaves.

Kaori noted with curiosity that one of Kakashi's eyes was dark gray while the other was red with strangely shaped black dots. Of course she knew of the great Konoha copy-nin, Hatake Kakashi of the sharingan, and had even spoken to him on several occasions when his genin had been admitted to the hospital, but she had never seen that eye before. When Uchiha Sasuke was brought in after the second and third chuunin exams, his eyes stayed naturally dark. She also noticed that Kakashi's face was still masked. _'How odd, no one's bothered to remove it to help him breathe better.'_

Now she observed admiringly, almost enviously, as Iashi concentrated his chakra to scan Kakashi's body, sending chakra pulses that echoed back information his trained nerve receptors could interpret. It never ceased to impress her, the power of a shinobi medic. To her eternal regret, she was not able to make the cut and was relegated to being just a nurse, little better than a civilian midwife. But she was satisfied with her role, after all, nurses filled a necessary void between the needy patients and the impatient, busy doctors.

Iashi finished his exam with a concerned frown. "There's no physical damage as far as I can tell. No trauma to the brain. No internal bleeding, no damage to the organs." He looked at Kaori, expecting her to write all this down. She immediately started scribbling in Kakashi's file. Iashi sighed and added, "I'm not sure what we can do. The brainwave pattern indicates he's in a coma. Well, at least he's breathing on his own. Not much is known about the sharingan's power anymore and the one person who can help us is unconscious. If only Tsunade-sama were here. If only one of us had her expertise and power…I'm afraid right now the best we can do is make him comfortable and monitor his vitals." Still, he proceeded to draw a few vials of blood to check for toxins.

"How long will he be out?"

"Hard to say, sometimes patients come out of a coma after a few days, but sometimes it could be months, years or never."

_'Never? How tragic.' "_Should I put him in one of the private long rehab rooms?" Kaori ventured to ask.

Iashi nodded. "He's important to the welfare of Konoha. One of the top jounin, you know. He should get the best care we can offer soI want you to personally monitor his case."

"Me? I'm just a nurse…" The idea of such a long term responsibility depressed her.

"Well, that's all he needs right now. There's not much us medics can do. Like I said, just make him comfortable."

"Would he even notice? I mean, the man's in a coma." '_Just my luck to be assigned to such a futile case.'_

"They say even coma patients dream and react to their loved ones speaking to them. It might help in his recovery to have someone talk to him."

"I'm sure he'll get lots of visitors since he's so famous."

Iashi nodded doubtfully, "Well, he doesn't have any family that I know of and there's none listed here. Check in the system. Kurenai-sensei listed herself as the contact, but that's probably because she didn't know whom else to put down. I guess they might be involved, but there should be someone else closer to him. Find out and advise him or her about talking to a coma patient. I'm going to put the patient's body in stasis, that way we won't have to worry about bodily functions and waste removal. He won't need the IV after this."

Kaori nodded and mentally noted all that Iashi had said. Iashi performed a complicated seal sequence to channel and mold his chakra. A stream of green medical chakra flowed out of his hands and dispersed over the patient. There was no obvious effect but it seemed Kakashi's breathing became even slower and more even. After the medic was done, she removed the IV then wheeled the bed to the private part of the hospital for long term, often terminal, cases. She adjusted the bed so his head was slightly elevated and made sure all the monitor leads were secured and the instruments were working properly.

Kaori took some time to examine her patient, or rather study his physical attributes. He was still dressed in his dark blue shinobi shirt and pants. His sandals, gloves, and forehead protector had been removed, allowing his white-gray head to tousle down attractively over his forehead. In her many years she had seen numerous scars, missing limbs, missing eyes, ears, even noses…so sad and disturbing, but this scar was interesting. A scar vertically down the left eye. A ragged imprecise scar, not a surgical scar but a battle scar. '_He must have lost his original left eye,_' she surmised. His mask still covered the lower half of his face so she reached over and pulled it down to make him more comfortable.

'_He's absolutely gorgeous!'_ She couldn't help but stare for a minute, two minutes... five full minutes passed. Beautifully formed full lips meant for kissing. A lovely aquiline nose. Deep set, probably soulful, eyes. Expressive eyebrows, currently knit in a painful frown. A strong chiseled chin. Well defined cheekbones. Pale perfect skin. '_What a shame to hide it behind a mask.'_ She couldn't help but reach out to brush a lock of his wild gray hair away from his noble brow.

"Well, good-bye for now, sweet prince." Kaori smiled at the nickname she gave him, then went back to her regular station to process the paperwork on her newest patient.

'_Hatake Kakashi_…' Kaori typed into her computer and pulled up his file. _'Age 27, a year younger than me, thought he was older with all that gray hair…Blood type O, parents deceased, no other living relative listed, no contact listed, received eye transplant at age 13, last checkup was nearly seven years ago, very bad, these shinobi should be more proactive about healthcare… no recent admittances, he must have had no serious injuries, in fact no visits since his last checkup. Oh, I see, his medical jutsu rating is pretty high, he'd be considered a mid rank medic here, probably treats himself…was admitted for psychiatric evaluation after death of teammate Uchiha Obito…and after the death of Yondaime. Passed psychiatric tests but recommendations for counseling were ignored. Special requests…do not remove mask unless absolutely necessary...'_

All in all, his record was spotty. The most disturbing part was the lack of family or any contact - that was unusual. There must be someone she could inform, so she decided to question Gai sensei and Kurenai sensei tomorrow. Surely his fellow comrades would know.

Kaori looked at the clock. Her regular shift was almost over. Then pickup some dinner, she did not feel like cooking today, and home to soak in a nice hot bath with lots of bubbles. The comforting thought was disrupted when the odd man in green reappeared with a young dark haired boy slumped over his shoulder.

"This is Uchiha Sasuke, he's been attacked by his brother Itachi with the same jutsu that knocked out Kakashi. He's been out for nearly an hour now…"

For the second time that day, Kaori immediately pressed the button to notify the medic standing by in the emergency room and directed Gai to come with her.

This time Houshou was on duty. The medics had better hours than the nurses she noted bitterly. She instinctively readied the IV drip and monitors while Houshou spoke to Gai about paperwork.

"Uh…isn't all this information in the system?" Gai frowned at the unnecessary paperwork.

"Fill in as much as you can and we'll pull the rest off the system," Houshou sighed. _'These shinobi just don't understand the importance of documentation.' _He took out a pen and another form and said, "So tell me exactly what happened." Houshou didn't realize he should have never used the word "exactly" with Gai.

"I was coming back from training, you know I do 100 laps around the village everyday, when I sensed trouble with a capital 'T.' I looked over my shoulder and spied, with my better than 20/20 vision and beauteous eyes, two strangers confronting my fellow sensei, Asuma and Kurenai, and my eternal rival Kakashi, you know I've got 52 wins now to his 51." Gai flashed his 100 watt smile at the pretty nurse. "I knew something strange was going on since Asuma and Kurenai had their eyes closed and Kakashi was helplessly down on his knees in obvious pain. The big ugly shark guy with a funny looking sword, looked like he was about to attack. I reacted instinctively and with my superior speed, I'm the fastest jounin in Konoha you know." He winked at Kaori. "I blocked his attack with my whirlwind kick, arriving in the nick of time to rescue my eternal rival. Upon directly facing Konoha's Noble Green Beast, Uchiha Itachi and his shark friend shook in fear at my luminous presence and using their wise judgment, decided to depart and abandon their quest…"

"What happened to Uchiha Sasuke?" Houshou iterated.

"After we brought my unconscious rival back to his place, Asuma, Kurenai and I held an important meeting to discuss why Uchiha Itachi returned to Konoha and to address the last thing Kakashi said, something about the Fourth Hokage's legacy and Naruto. And now that there is no Hokage, we didn't know exactly…"

"What happened to Uchiha Sasuke?" Houshou reiterated, continuing to be patient.

"Well, then Aoba showed up asking about Itachi, apparently word got around fast after I informed the Anbu. Then Sasuke showed up right behind him and heard everything Aoba said, especially the part about how Itachi's after Naruto, so Sasuke took off in pursuit. I helped Kurenai bring Kakashi to the hospital, being the chivalrous considerate man that I am..." Gai struck a manly superhero pose with his hands on his hips and his chest thrusted out. "...since he still wouldn't wake up, low stamina you know. Then I went after Sasuke. Now since my speed is superior, I'm the fastest jounin in Konoha you know, I caught up relatively quickly, but I didn't know exactly where he was in Otafuka so I had to ask around and search…"

"What happened to Uchiha Sasuke?" Houshou sighed.

"I heard a ruckus at this inn and when I arrived, I astutely used my forehead protector to spy around the corner and I saw Sasuke unconscious and someone standing over him. I, uh, accidentally dealt a blow… you don't need to know that part. Anyway, Jiraiya-sama told me Sasuke had been attacked by his brother Itachi with a mental sharingan jutsu. I shrewdly deduced it was probably the same jutsu as what he used on Kakashi."

Houshou sighed again and wrote down "Unknown metal attack."

Gai sighed as he looked at the lines requesting Sasuke's ninja registration number (no idea), address (somewhere in the Uchiha clan complex), medical history including parental background and allergies (parents deceased was all he knew), closest living relative (Itachi but he didn't count did he?), contact (Kakashi, but he was out... who else? He tentatively put Haruno Sakura, his teammate, since Naruto was out of town.). Gai returned the mostly blank form back to Houshou who barely glanced at it before handing it over to Kaori.

"Excuse me, Gai sensei," Kaori walked over to the giant spearmint stick. "Does Kakashi-sensei have anyone we should inform of his condition? He doesn't have anyone listed as his contact in the system."

"Kakashi? Hmm…I guess you should inform Haruno Sakura. She's one of his genin, along with Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto. I can't think of anyone else."

"Haruno Sakura… she's the pink haired girl who's been visiting Lee and…"

"Yes! She's also Lee's important person!"

"You listed her as Uchiha Sasuke's contact as well."

"He has no family other than the brother who put him here."

"I see," Kaori sighed. So sad not to have family. She warmly thought of her younger siblings and parents - being regular civilians was better in many ways.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you that Jiraiya-sama and Naruto are looking for Tsunade-sama. She should be able to cure Kakashi and Sasuke and my beloved Lee," Gai smiled his shiny million ryou smile at the pretty nurse who seemed to be strangely unimpressed.

"When do you think she'll get here?" asked Houshou.

"Well, there is a problem with that. They're not sure where she is. Apparently she moves around a lot, hiding from creditors."

"Creditors?" both medical staff personnel asked in unison.

"Gambling addiction," Gai explained.

The two nodded knowingly. Tsunade was famous in more ways than one. Her superior medical jutsu were only matched by her poor financial handling.

"If I'm done here, I'm off to visit Lee."

"If there's any change in Kakashi-san's or Sasuke-san's condition I'll be sure to inform…" Kaori started to say but Gai had already left. It seemed his priority was very clear.

Houshou was finishing up his exam. "Like what Iashi wrote in his report on Kakashi, no physical damage, coma brainwave. Prep a private room in the wing for minors," he ordered abruptly.

Kaori thought about objecting. It was already past her regular hours, but she nodded and noted to put in her overtime card, again. "Shouldn't I put him in the same wing as his sensei?" she asked.

"Rules are rules. Kids, shinobi or not, go to the pediatrics ward," he said cooly.

"Right, the rules," she sighed as she prepped the bed. She mentally noted to herself that someone else would have to be Sasuke's primary caregiver. She already had too much to do. It was harder being a nurse than a doctor. Nurses saw the patients every day, several times a day. A doctor may check in on a patient a few times a week, maybe even face to face for a minute, but it was the nurses who really cared for them, encouraged them, talked to them. Kaori prided herself on being a good caring nurse, yet one who never let her personal feelings interfere with her job.

After setting up Sasuke, she returned to Kakashi's room. Kaori remembered the request about the mask. It was more than odd. It was an almost ridiculous request. Why? Why would someone not want his face revealed even when in a hospital? Still, she had to honor it. Her hands hovered above his face. But instead of pulling his mask up, she gently caressed his cheeks. They felt cool and clammy, but smooth and soft. One hand reached over to touch his forehead. She stroke it absently, trying to erase the crease between his eyebrows. He appeared to respond and the painful frown on his face smoothed away under her touch. She knew she was not ethically allowed to gaze upon his handsome visage again so she stared for another minute, caressed his face again and pulled up his mask.

"Good night sweet prince," she whispered in his ear before she quietly left the room.

On her way home, Kaori first stopped by the ramen stand for a takeout order of seafood ramen. The young ramen waitress took her order with a smile, handed her the bag with a smile, and took her payment and thanked her with a smile. For some reason, that annoyed her.

'_That ramen girl is always smiling at her customers. Does she really love what she does? Cooking and serving ramen? Can that possibly be a fulfilling job?' _Kaori wondered

'_Just because you would be miserable doing something so mundane, doesn't mean someone else can't be satisfied,' _she chided herself. '_You should be less judgmental. That's why your family thinks you can't find someone. No one can be as perfect as you.'_

'_I'm not perfect. I just try to be. Everyone should try to do their best,'_ Kaori argued with herself on her way to the Haruno household.

She knocked on the door and patiently waited for someone to answer. It was just past dinner time for most people. '_That girl Sakura is lucky, she has parents and a regular home,'_ she noted to herself, '_not a dormitory like Naruto, or a tomb like Sasuke.'_ She knew the type of domicile her patients lived in just based on their address. Where they lived told her a lot about their lives which was important in treating a patient psychologically. Not every medic or nurse understood this important facet of a patient. She had noticed that Kakashi lived in one of the academy sponsored apartment buildings, not a family home, and…

Her thoughts were interrupted bythe pretty pink haired girl in a red dress who answered the door. Kaori immediately recognized her. "Sakura-chan, I'm nurse Kaori from the shinobi hospital. I want you to know that Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke…"

"Sasuke! What happened to Sasuke? Is it he hurt? He ran off this afternoon looking for Naruto…if that idiot did something to my darling Sasuke, he'll have to answer to me!" the girl immediately ranted.

"Both Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke-san are at the hospital in a coma. They were attacked by Sasuke's brother Itachi. Jiraiya-sama and Naruto-san are looking for Tsunade-sama, the great shinobi healer…"

"Sasuke's in the hospital? I have to see him now!"

"Visiting hours will be over soon. But when you visit them tomorrow I suggest you talk to them or read to them. They say people in comas can still hear. It just might help them get better."

"I'll talk to Sasuke until there's no breath in my body if that will save him." Sakura started to cry as she thought about her love lying alone in the hospital.

"Well, I'm sure that won't be necessary. Visiting hours start at 8AM. Good night," Kaori replied, feeling a bit annoyed with this young girl who had not expressed one iota of concern for her sensei. Then again she was obviously in love with Uchiha Sasuke.

'_When was the last time I felt like that about a man? How long has it been since the last time I thought I was in love. It's been years,'_ Kaori thought as she walked slowly home. A couple of years until the big "3-O" and her love life was nil.

Her parents bugged her every time she visited. "So, seeing anyone special?" was their not so subtle attempt of finding out when their oldest daughter would finally tie the knot like her younger siblings.

But Kaori was a career woman who loved her job, most of the time. She worked long hours and thus had little time for a social life. She was very pretty, even in her plain white nurse's uniform, and the doctors and patients noticed. They used to hit on her all the time. But now it was less and less, especially with the addition of that new nurse Otoha, seven years her junior, of the big, big, oversized bust, not balanced by a brain or any nursing talent.

Kaori had gone out with a few of the medics, but she did not approve of dating at the office. It made things awkward when things did not work out. But the real problem was the arrogance of the shinobi medics who instantly saw her as an inferior.

She had dated Houshou for a while, but that didn't work out. All the other nurses thought he was a perfect catch, handsome, caring, nice, and a medic. What else could a woman want? They criticized her for being too picky when she broke it off just a few months ago. There was just no chemistry, that intangible element required for love.

She was happy with her life, wasn't she? Or rather she was usually too busy to think about whether she was or not. What she was was complacent. She had fallen into a routine and used her busy schedule as an excuse not to start a relationship.

So what did she want out of life? She wanted a family. She wanted to have children. She wanted someone of her own to care for. She wanted to continue working as a nurse. She wanted the power to heal. And like everyone else, she wanted to love and be loved in return, and preferably by the same person.

-…-…-…-

_Author's Notes: Okay, I'm not sure where I'm going with this but I think it will be a GaixKaorixKakashi story. Just something I'm working on in between struggling with Kakashi's Stolen Sharingan which I will be posting very soon._


	2. The Injured Genin

**The Injured Genin**

"Ugh, another day," Kaori moaned into her pillow. Yes she loved her job, but she loved sleep nearly as much. But then she thought about her sleeping prince and smiled. She stretched her limbs lazily and then rose from her bed. She forced herself to do her despised morning exercises. She was not a shinobi, but she had some training long ago and that reminder made her stick to her exercise schedule.

Kaori started bending and stretching for five minutes, then jumping jacks for two minutes, then pushups, just twenty, then situps, fifty was the usual goal. She finished with some more stretches before she headed to the bathroom.

Breakfast was simple. A look in the refrigerator told her it was time for a trip to the market. She poured the last bit of orange juice into a cup and that was breakfast. Now time to practice her chakra channeling and molding.

"Bunshin no jutsu," she announced and two and a half bunshin appeared. The "half" was an incomplete attempt, an almost unrecognizable amorphous figure that looked as if a large boulder had rolled over it. "Henge no jutsu," she announced as she transformed into Haruno Sakura (for some reason the genin had popped into her head). Sakura, the thought of the girl annoyed her and she was annoyed that she was annoyed

'_Stop being so judgmental_,' she scolded herself again. _'She's only 12, 13 years old, of course she's a selfish brat. What do you think you were like back then? Didn't you have a crush on some boy?'_

'_Did I? I can't remember anymore. I've lost touch with just about everyone. All the ones I admired are now either dead, gone, or busy with their own lives.'_

She held the transformation for as long as she could, which was only a couple of minutes. Sadly, she had not improved since she was twelve years old. But if she didn't practice every day, she would lose what little power she had. At least she could heal minor cuts and bruises with chakra.

'_That's all I am - a band-aid,' _she thought ruefully as she changed into her uniform. '_But I will be the best, most waterproof, nonstick, anti-bacterial band-aid possible,_' she thought encouragingly to herself as she applied her makeup.

Kaori was not a vain women; vain women did not become nurses and emptied bedpans and bottles of urine. But she did care about her appearance. First, a light layer of powder carefully matched to her skin type and color, then a stroke of dark brown eyeliner under each eye, a touch of blush on each cheek, and finally carefully coloring her lips with a lip pencil which stayed on better than lipstick. Patients always felt better seeing a pretty young nurse rather than some old hag that reminded them of their mortality. So in effect the makeup was for her patients as well.

Being a senior nurse, she had the privilege of choosing her hours and she opted for the normal 9 to 5 schedule. But it never seemed to be 9 to 5. She always ended up doing overtime, usually leaving at 7, sometimes even midnight. But someone had to do it and the younger, less reliable nurses, cared more about their social life than their patients.

Kaori resolved that her patients came first, before any man, and that meant today it would be Hatake Kakashi, who just happened to be a very handsome man, though rather immobile at the moment.

When she arrived at the hospital, the first thing she did, as she did every morning, was to clock in with her time card and check her inbox. There was another pile of paperwork from yesterday that she was supposed to enter into the computer, including more notes on Kakashi's and Sasuke's cases. She decided to check in on her patients before tacking the tedious paperwork. Since Sasuke and Lee were in the same wing, she headed there first.

Lee was already awake and doing his physical therapy exercises in the courtyard. Actually he was already beyond doing his normal exercises and was over exerting himself as usual. Kaori sighed as she watched Lee in his green jumpsuit. His injuries had improved since he was admitted to the hospital but he still favored his left arm and leg which had been crushed. He still had to use a crutch and as he was doing pushups, she could see he was clearly leaning more on his right arm.

"...291...292...293..."

"Lee-san, 300 pushups is not reasonable at this stage in your recovery. All you're doing is straining your muscles and not giving them a chance to recover…" Kaori scolded for the umpteenth time to no avail. That was her professional advice, secretly she was impressed by the sheer number of pushups he could do while injured and with one hand.

But as usual Lee ignored her and continued. Men, even boys, were just too stubborn, and shinobi were even more stubborn. She watched as Lee collapsed at 298 pushups and as he swore to himself to do 400 the next time.

"Now will you let me check your vitals?" Kaori asked as she guided Lee back to his room.

"Kaori-san, thank you for your assistance but I am able to return to my room unaided," Lee said politely as he shook off her helping hand.

Kaori followed Lee's hobbling figure, ready to assist him at a second's notice should he stumble.

Back in his room, she noted the barely touched breakfast. She eyed the bran muffin hungrily as she did not have a good breakfast. Hospital food was better than nothing. "Lee-san, you have to eat to regain your strength."

"I am sorry, but I am just not hungry in the morning," Lee replied indifferently.

Kaori noticed the boy still looked depressed and she tried to think of something to cheer him up. "Hey, I saw Haruno Sakura yesterday. She's a nice girl isn't she? I know she plans on visiting today." Of course Kaori neglected to tell Lee that it was because Sasuke had been admitted to the hospital again. "You can't face her with a rumbling stomach, can you? Wouldn't it be embarrassing if..."

Lee needed no more words of encouragement as he grabbed the bran muffin and crammed the entire thing into his mouth, and seemingly swallowed it whole without any chewing. The chaser was a glass of milk, also downed without any apparent reflex of the esophagus.

_'What the hell? Is that a special technique?' _Kaori wondered. _'I thought only the Akimichi clan could do that...Maybe it's a snake technique...' _She continued to watch in fascination as the green tinted rehydrated nutritionally fortified scrambled eggs were shoveled into his mouth at lightning speed, followed by a wedge of orange. In a total of 9.5 seconds, Lee was finished with breakfast, or he would have been if he had remembered to remove the orange peel before shoving into his mouth. Unlike the other soft foods, the orange wedge would not go down and Lee started to turn a funny shade of blue which clashed violently with his green jumpsuit.

Kaori quickly got behind him and wrapped her arms around his mid section. With her fists folded together she pushed hard, in and up. The action dislodged the orange peel from Lee's throat and harmlessly landed on the breakfast tray.

"You...you saved my life!" Lee started to shed tears of joy. "All that I have been through...I thought how pathetic... to be done in by a piece of citrus...You are a life-saving angel!"

Kaori smiled at the over emotional adolescent. "Not an angel, just a professionally trained board certified nurse with framed diplomas to prove it. Please eat more slowly next time, in case I'm not around. I'm sure Sakura-san would be very sad if something happened to you."

Lee nodded and looked at his caretaker in a new light as she shoved a thermometer in his mouth and wrapped a blood pressure monitor around his arm. '_This woman is beautiful both inside and out. She is caring and good and smart. An angel. A perfect angel. She would be perfect for my perfect sensei. Gai sensei I found the one for you!'_

Lee's temperature read 99.2 and his blood pressure 140 over 80. That was normal for him as they were always a bit above average. The medics explained that it was because of his passionate (hot-blooded) spirit. "Looks good. Any new developments?" Kaori asked kindly.

Lee shook his head and replied sincerely, "Thank you for the excellent care and concern you have shown me all these weeks."

"No problem, it's all part of my job," she smiled.

"No, it is not. You are really a good caring person. Your...precious person is very lucky."

"Precious person? Do you mean like a boyfriend?" Kaori laughed. The poor boy was probably developing a crush on her, quite common. "No, I'm afraid I've been too busy to find that special someone."

_'So she is available! Perfect!'_ Lee smiled back. "I am sure he will come along soon...very soon." He gave her a wink with a shiny smile and a thumbs up.

"Well, I guess you never know. I'll be back later. Please get some rest," Kaori advised as she left Lee's room.

Lee nodded. Rest. Yes, he would now spend some time thinking about how he could get nurse Kaori together with Gai-sensei.

-...-...-...-

Next up was Uchiha Sasuke. Kaori heard murmurs behind the closed door to his room and wondered if he were coming out of his coma. But it was just that girl Sakura sitting by his bed and reading from a book. _'She must have arrived as soon as visiting hours were open,'_ Kaori surmised.

"Oh, hello Kaori-san," Sakura greeted her with a sad smile. "I've been reading to Sasuke-kun like you suggested. I tried to pick out something he'd like. 'The Count of Monte Cristo.' It's an adventure story about a man who exacts revenge…" Her blue-green eyes started to tear as she thought about Sasuke's futile attempt to seek vengeance against his own brother. "He'll be better soon, won't he?"

"Yes of course. We just have to be patient. Any type of healing takes time," Kaori said encouragingly even though it was unlikely to be any time soon. "And remember, Naruto-san and the great sannin Jiraiya-sama will be bringing back Konoha's legendary healer, Tsunade-sama."

"I wish they'd hurry up," Sakura frowned, "the two of them don't seem to be terribly reliable. Naruto's always fooling around and that Jiraiya-sama writes smut books."

Kaori raised her eyebrows in surprise. That she didn't know. Why did this girl know and she didn't? Well then again, it's not like she read that kind of stuff, but then again Sakura was too young…how did she know? But Kaori let it pass. It was probably from shinobi gossip and she didn't need to know stuff like that to do her job. "I'm sure the two know how important it is to bring her back to the village. I'm sure they're spending all their energy and resources looking for her. I bet within the week they'll be back."

Sakura nodded and smiled at her encouraging words. Neither one of them knew about Jiraiya's female proclivities and did not realize just how long it would actually take for Jiraiya to complete his investigation.

"So are you visiting Kakashi-sensei after this?" Kaori inquired.

"I'm going to stop by to see Lee-kun and then I'll look in on Kakashi-sensei. I need to run some errands for my parents and do some training and then I'll come back to visit Sasuke again."

"Do you think you'll have time to talk or read to your sensei?" asked Kaori, trying hard not to lose her patience with this love obsessed girl.

"Well, quite honestly, I don't have much to say to him. He's only close to Sasuke, I think. Besides, Kakashi-sensei prefers…adult romance novels and I don't like those," Sakura explained. She figured everyone knew about Kakashi's taste in reading material so Kaori would understand what she meant. "I'm sure his friends will drop by and talk to him. Like Gai sensei, he'll be visiting Lee soon."

Kaori nodded and wrote down the latest info from the monitors onto Sasuke's chart. As expected, there had been no change in his condition. On her way to her next patient, she thought about what a sweet polite boy Lee was, nothing like that arrogant Uchiha brat who never thanked her for anything during his last stay. He just looked at her with those cold, but beautiful, black eyes as if the service she provided were nothing less than expected from a subservient catering to her lord and master.

Too bad Haruno Sakura was obsessed with someone like that. Too bad she couldn't see that Lee was a much better, much more deserving person. Of course it was obvious why...Lee just did not rate on the looks scale.

First there was the hair. Only little children had bowl cut hair like that. But that could be easily remedied with a good pair of scissors for a nice layered look. Then there was the abnormally thick eyebrows that looked as if they could fall off his face at any moment and start crawling toward you like in some B horror flick. A little waxing should do it. It would be painful but that kind of pain was nothing compared to what Lee went through in his fight with that Sand genin. And then the clothes - all women know that clothing makes the man. Unless he were training he really should not be wearing a monochrome mold green jumpsuit all the time. That should be for field camouflage, not daily wear. The boy needed something more fashionable and... less green.

-…-…-…-

Kaori finished her morning rounds in the children's wing and was on her way to the adult wing when she passed by Lee's room and heard Lee's sensei noisily encouraging his genin to do more exercises.

"That's it Lee, no pain no gain. Real men don't feel pain. It's all in the mind..."

"...323...324...325..."

Kaori quickly cut in, "Stop! What do you think you're doing? Lee-san needs rest, not more training!"

Lee was in the middle of doing a sit-up in bed as Gai held down his ankles. The two peas of a pod stopped and looked at the young woman whose face was red with frustration. Gai immediately stood up and bowed to the lovely lady before him. "Good morning nurse Kaori! Thank you again for taking such excellent care of my young protégé!"

"Kaori-san, Gai-sensei was just helping me strengthen my abdominal muscles which were not affected during my fight," said Lee.

"By strengthening Lee's abdominal muscles, that will relieve the pressure on his back and back muscles which were injured," Gai explained.

Kaori thought about it and it did make sense, but still... "Just don't over do it. 300 is plenty."

"300? Why I was able to do that many when I was a toddler. Before I could walk..." Gai boasted.

"300 is plenty," Kaori insisted. "By the way, Gai sensei, I thought you'd want to know that both Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke-san are both in stable condition but still unconsious. Their brainwave activity indicates they're in a coma state and will remain so indefinitely. Talking or reading to the patient is supposed to help stimulate the brain so Sakura-san has been reading to Sasuke-san but I would like someone to read to Kakashi-sensei. If you could..."

"Read? Like in books? Such a static activity does not suit someone with as much vitality as I have. Can't remember the last time I read a book, probably back in the Academy. Well, I have read training guides and books on taijutsu by past masters (_they had pictures_), but Kakashi isn't interested in books like that. I'm sorry, but I have to spend my limited free time with Lee here to ensure he recovers to reach his full youthful potential. I'm sure you'll be able to find someone else for such a mundane task."

"Well, Kurenai-sensei listed herself as Kakashi's contact. Is she his..."

"Kurenai and her team are on a mission but they'll be back tonight."

"What about Asuma-sensei?"

"Mission."

Kaori sighed. After the war, it seemed everyone was busier than ever, especially with Konoha out to prove its strength and rebuilding at the same time. "Why are you here instead of on a mission?" Kaori asked curiously.

"Hah, I'm glad you asked. As industrious as I am, I finished my mission in record time. They would have taken a normal team all day, but I made my team get up before dawn, early bird gets the worm you know. Following my example, my team used our super speed and efficient teamwork to accomplish everything within hours, so now I have free time to spend with my precious Lee before our next mission." Actually, Tenten and Neji just watched as Gai did everything himself in order to expedite the mission (C mission to capture wild raccoons, boars, and a wolf, all possibly rabid).

"That's quite...admirable," Kaori admitted. Such devotion to a student was rare... and rather peculiar actually. "Well, you two take it easy okay? I have to get back to work," Kaori said as she continued toward the adult wing.

After the pretty nurse was out of view, the injured genin turned to his sensei and said, "I think nurse Kaori-san is wonderful! She would be perfect for you!"

"Hmm? Well, she is a lovely flower, but not as close to perfection as I am." Gai ran his fingers through his perfectly neat head of hair and struck a model's pose with his hands on his hips and his broad chest stuck out. '_She's kind of lacking in the chest area,' _he added to himself.

"But she saved my life today!"

"What! What happened? My precious Lee's life was in danger? Who dared…let me at him!" Gai cracked his knuckles dangerously.

"A piece of dangerously cut fruit got stuck in my throat. I could have died, but nurse Kaori saved me!" Lee started to tear up at the thought of his near death encounter and the angel who had saved him.

"I see…" Konoha's noble green beast evaluated. "Then it's been pre-destined! Nurse Kaori and I are meant to be together!" announced Gai with an obsessive gleam in his eye.

Just about everyone, and no one better than his eternal rival, knew how obsessive Gai could be once he latched onto an idea.

-...-...-...-

_Author's Notes: I decided to write this more normally then the ramen girl stories which were dialogue heavy and concentrated more on humor. _


	3. The First Reading

**First Reading**

After finishing her rounds with the regular patients, Kaori headed toward Kakashi's room, her last stop before tackling the new pile of paperwork that magically appeared whenever she was not around.

There he lay, just as he did yesterday, in the exact same position, but the little troubled crease between his eyebrow was back. "Good morning Kakashi-san," Kaori said brightly. "It's another lovely day in Konoha. Let me open the shades and let in some light." She adjusted the blinds to a comfortable level, wondering if coma patients could sense light. She checked the monitors, no change, as expected.

"Has Sakura-san been by to visit you? I asked her to talk to you or read a bit, but she said she was busy today. She mentioned you liked romances. I happen to be reading a new book called 'Gone with the Wind.' It's a romance about a girl from Wind Country and a boy from Fire Country and how war affects their relationship.It's amazing how quickly some writers can turn out a novel. I mean, the last war was only a month ago and someone's already capitalizing on it. If you like I can read some it to you. It's actually pretty good even though some parts are rather contrived, the characters are well developed. It is rather typical, warring clans, star crossed love, you know, that sort of thing, but it's a good read."

Kaori took out her book, which she grabbed when she passed her desk on the way to the adult wing, and started to read. She was already about halfway through. She usually read a bit during her lunch hour, or rather half hour, and before she went to sleep. It was actually kind of nice to be able to read during official work hours. In fact, she could probably read for a whole hour or more and none of the medics could complain, as this was a rather special assignment. That small rebellious thought made her smile and she read out loud with greater enthusiasm, even giving the characters different voices, but she skipped the R rated scenes.

After nearly an hour of reading, Kaori felt her voice giving out and decided to stop. "Well, stay tuned for next time. Back to paperwork for me, but I'll drop by later," she said to her sleeping prince.

Back at her desk, Kaori saw junior nurse Otoha who had just arrived for her shift. As a relatively new employee, Otoha should have had the graveyard shift but she somehow convinced the hospital director to give her the 11AM-7PM shift, which allowed her to party after work till late. No doubt her boobs did the convincing.

The younger woman smiled and greeted her coyly. "Good-day Kaori-sempai. I hear you've been assigned to watch over Kakashi-sensei. You're so lucky!"

"How is that lucky?" Kaori asked indifferently.

"You get to sneak a peek at his face. He's really hot isn't he? Or is he hideously deformed?"

"The former I guess."

"I knew it! Please let me take a look, please?"

"No."

"But I'm a nurse too..."

"No, it says in his file the mask stays on unless it's an emergency."

"That's ridiculous!"

"Maybe so but that's the patient's wish."

"But you got to see..."

"Only when he first came in. The mask stays on now."

"You are such rule sticker. Who's going to know? What harm can it do?"

"I'll know. And when he wakes I won't be able to look him in the eye if I betray the trust between a medical professional and a patient," Kaori said firmly.

"Sigh, fine whatever," muttered Otoha who then added to herself, _'I'll wait till she leaves...' _

"And no peeking when I'm not here!"

"Huh? I wasn't thinking anything like that!"

"I'm sure you weren't. If I find the patient's privacy has been violated, I'll report you."

"I'm not going to do anything, okay." Otoha flipped her long luxurious black hair back angrily as her blue-gray eyes rolled in their sockets. '_Anal retentive bitch,' _she thought, '_always lecturing me on medical ethics. She needs to get a life, or rather get a man, or rather just get laid!'_

Otoha then saw Kaori's book. 'Hey, what's that book you're reading?" she asked curiously.

"I've been reading this to Kakashi-sensei. They say it helps stimulate the brain of coma patients," Kaori explained, blushing a bit.

"What are you reading?" Otoha asked again.

Kaori showed her the book.

Otoha laughed, "That's not the kind of book he likes!"

"What do you mean? I heard he likes romances and this one's pretty good," Kaori replied defensively.

"That's like a Harlequin romance! Everyone knows he likes..." Otoha leaned over to whisper in Kaori's ear. Kaori's faced turned beet red.

"How do you know that?" Kaori demanded.

"He doesn't hide it. He reads that stuff in public. Really Kaori, if you didn't have your head stuck between tongue depressors and bandages all day and just socialize a bit, you'd know all the shinobi gos…I mean news... you would know important stuff like that."

Kaori went silent. What kind of man was this Kakashi? Not another pervert!

"Was the matter Kaori? Burst your bubble? Did you fall for him? No surprise, so have half the women in Konoha. And he's probably had half of those as well. He's a notorious ladies man!" Unbeknownst to poor Kaori, Otoha was a notorious creator and spreader of shinobi gossip.

"Really?"

"Of course! He must be - look at the books he reads. Only bad bad boys read those, especially in public," Otoha maliciously speculated.

"Er…so what exactly does he read?" asked Kaori tentatively.

"The Icha Icha series - there's already a movie out based on the first book. The second one is in the works. The movies are rated R but the books are more explicit."

"So you've read them?"

"Well...yes...they were on the Konoha Times' best seller's list. They're really quite romantic. Not as bad as some prudish people make them out to be," the younger woman added pointedly, thinking how Kaori fell into that category.

"Well, I'm sure what I'm reading is fine. I'm not going to read smut books out loud!"

"You are such a prude. What's the big deal? It's just you and an unconscious patient. You should read them for yourself. I mean considering..."

"Considering what?"

"Your lack of action..."

"What the hell do you mean?"

"Well, when was the last time you got any?"

"Any what? You mean going out on a date?"

"I mean being really really intimate with a guy."

Kaori's face returned to the deep red color. "None of your business!"

"All I'm saying is those books are good company when you're not getting any other action."

Kaori seriously considered Otoha's advice. What harm could it do to read just one?

-...-...-...-


	4. The Strange Man in Green

_**The Strange Man in Green**_

The rest of Kaori's morning was spent catching up on paperwork as usual. When lunchtime came around, it was Otoha's job to see to the patients and Kaori was left manning the front desk by herself.

Curious to learn more about Kakashi, she logged onto his administrative records and learned he graduated the Academy at age 5, became a chuunin at 6, and a jounin at 13. His distinguished career included 38 S missions, 276 A missions, 413 B missions, 189 C missions, 197 D missions at the last computerized update.

As a senior medical professional, she was also able to access other confidential records. A search on Hatake revealed there was no more of the Hatake clan in Konoha. Each available record had deceased at the top of the file. Hatake Sakumo, his father was apparently a great shinobi who died when Kakashi was 8, by suicide according to the autopsy records. Kaori also ran a search on Kakashi's teammates whose names she retrieved from the admin records. She felt like a stalker but convinced herself she needed to know all about him in order to help him. It was not some strange obsession.

She found that Kakashi received the sharingan from Uchiha Obito, his teammate. His other teammate Rin was also deceased. Kaori vaguely remembered Rin. She was a shinobi medic and thus attended a few of the same medical classes with her, but Rin was much more advanced. '_See what talent gets you,' _Kaori thought sadly, '_Guess I should be glad to be a lowly nurse (but a damn good one!).'_ And of course his sensei, the Fourth was also long gone.

The more she learned about her sleeping prince, the deeper her sympathy, and a great respect for this man who sacrificed so much of himself for the village developed. She could not reconcile the image of the man she formed from his paper trail with Otoha's allegations. Was he a pervert? It couldn't be true. How could a man with such a distinguished service record, who kept his mask on all the time (indicating an obsession with privacy), who had had no sexual harassment charges on record, be a pervert?

Was he really a notorious ladies' man? That didn't make sense either. How could a man who perpetually wore a mask be… intimate with that many women without his face being known? Unless it was all done in complete darkness…how…kinky…

And what about all of Gai's boasting that he was better than Kakashi? Based on their mission records, Kakashi was definitely better, with more A and S class missions. Gai's assertion, that he saved Kakashi, seemed to be rather suspect in her opinion.

Kaori decided that all of this was hearsay, just shinobi gossip perpetrated by envious imps to tarnish an honorable man's reputation. Of course Kaori did believe he read smut books, all men were addicted to porn, but being an actual pervert was something entirely different.

Her ponderous thoughts were interrupted by a flash of bright green. Gai suddenly appeared before her, smiling his shiny white smile. Before she could greet him, Gai launched into his prepared speech. "Nurse Kaori, I would like to thank you again for the excellent care you have shown to my dear Lee…"

"You're welcome, I'm just doing my job…"

"Maybe so, but I would like to do something special for you. You deserve it."

'_Is he trying to bribe me into letting Lee do more exercise training?_' "Thank you but it's not necessary…"

"I am offering you the honor of accompanying me to dinner."

Kaori was confused by his words. '_Does that mean there's an award ceremony he wants me to attend_?' "Sorry, I can't get involved with patients…"

"I'm not a patient…" Gai pointed out.

"…or their parents or relatives or friends." Not exactly true but her usual excuse when she was not interested.

"No problem. I'm Lee's sensei. So when should I pick you up?" the man in green insisted.

"I can't…I have several errands to run today…"

"I'll run all your errands for you," Konoha's noble green beast offered.

"Er…no thank you. It involves…female stuff." '_That always works!' _

"Tomorrow then?" Gai asked, nonplussed.

"I'm having dinner with my parents tomorrow…" A true statement.

"The day after that?"

"I…I…I'm having dinner with my…dog." _'No one can continue to miss the brush off with that excuse, especially since I don't have a dog.' _

"Ah, yes, ensuring your pet feels secure and loved is of utmost importance. I treat all my summoned animals the same way. I see we have much in common. Well, in that case you may join me for lunch now."

"Now? I…I…uh…I don't have much time. I was just planning to grab something from the hospital cafeteria."

"Ah, that's a wonderful place of quiet ambiance."

'_You have got to be kidding me! Who likes hospital cafeterias much less the crappy food? Well, if I have lunch with him just this once, then I'm off the hook. He just wants to do something nice because of Lee. It's not like he's interested in women,' _Kaori appraised."I guess that would be okay. I just need to wait for Nurse Otoha to return from her lunch rounds."

"Then I'll wait."

"How about you wait in the cafeteria for me. I should be there in about 20 minutes." Kaori wisely suggested since she did not want Ms. Gossip Otoha to know.

"All right, I'll be waiting with my eternal patience."

Kaori just nodded at the strange man in green. '_How bad could it be? It's only a 15 minute lunch break…' _

When Kaori arrive at the cafeteria, she found several small tables pushed next to each other with food laid out end to end. Gai had ordered one of everything available, including all the different colors of jello (they all tasted the same). He was sitting there with Lee at his side. The doublemint twins smiled and waved her over.

Kaori looked around the cafeteria and was relieved to find there wasn't anyone else around since it was already late and most preferred lunch elsewhere.

Gai quickly got up and pulled out a chair for her. Lee stood up as well, though a bit wobbly. Gai bowed like a maître d' and waited until Kaori was seated. "I took the liberty of ordering for all of us," he said, proud of his generosity and his solution to saving time and wondering what kind of food Kaori liked.

"Food is always better with company," Lee said with great alacrity, proud of how smart his sensei was to have ordered all this food.

"Er…yes…this is a lot of food." Kaori frowned at the waste. There was no way the three of them would be able to finish it all. But then she had a practical thought - she would be able to save some food for later and postpone another night of cooking. "So Lee…it looks like you've regained your appetite."

"Oh yes, and it's all thanks to you."

"Me?"

"My near death experience with the slice of orange reminded me how lucky I am to be alive despite my injuries. I must consume an adequate supply of calories and nutrients in order to fully recover."

"Well I'm glad you realize that."

Meanwhile Gai had compiled a plate for Kaori. "Judging by your height and weight, estimated daily physical activity, and pallor of your skin, you require a minimum of 5700 calories and an extra dose of vitamin D.

Kaori looked at the pile of food on her plate. If she were to eat like that everyday, she would easily gain ten pounds a week. It seemed they based her calorie requirements on their physical activity.

"The cheeseburger is the perfect food. You have your meat, dairy, grain, fruit and vegetables all in one," Gai explained.

"Fruit?" asked Kaori.

"The nutritious tomato is actually a fruit," Lee pointed out.

"A slice of pizza with everything on it is also perfect," Gai continued. "There's sausage and pepperoni, mushrooms and peppers, cheese, crust, and tomato sauce. Something from each of the required food groups."

"That's true…but I really can't eat that much. I don't need that many calories."

"Sure you do. You're too thin," Gai bluntly pointed out.

"Thank you for saying that but I won't be if I eat all this." _'I'm not too thin, based on the standardized height and weight charts, I am at a perfectly desirable ratio,' _Kaori added to herself.

"You need some more meat on your bones which you can then develop into muscle," Gai insisted, "Then you'll be closer to perfection like I am."

"Huh? I don't need to be perfect. I'm happy with the way I am."

"Of course you are but there's always room for improvement. We should all try to be the best that we can be," Gai said encouragingly.

Lee nodded enthusiastically at his sensei's words. "Yes, if it were not for Gai-sensei's training and nutrition program, I would not be the shinobi I am today."

"That's true…but…" Kaori weakly protested.

"Eat up!" With that demand, Gai and Lee dove into their food.

Kaori stared at the grease on her plate. When was the last time she indulged herself? And Gai did have a point about covering all the food groups. So she picked up the cheeseburger and bit deeply into it. _"I'll just have the cheeseburger, no pizza, fries, or dessert,'_ she compromised. '_Well maybe the green jello, no not green, no more green! The red jello…'_

Meanwhile her lunch dates proceeded to consume everything else, even the fried chicken bones, which were an excellent source of calcium.

Kaori ate in silence, concentrating on chewing her food thoroughly, wondering if the two were long lost brothers since the age differential indicated they could not possibly be father and son. Or maybe the shinobi medics succeeded in their cloning techniques…

In between impossibly large gulps, Gai regaled his audience with tales of his most exciting, most dangerous missions (with Lee adding reminders of details Gai left out, apparently Lee had memorized all the stories), including how he saved his eternal rival Kakashi from the Uchiha prodigy missing-nin Akatsuki member. He further tweaked the story with more bells and whistles from the first time Kaori heard it.

At the mention of Kakashi, Kaori immediately perked up. "So Kakashi's your eternal rival? Since when?"

"Since we were in the Academy together."

"But he graduated before you did."

Gai frowned at the accuracy of her information. "I graduated just a year after him."

"So you've been in pursuit of him practically all your life?"

"Pursuit?"

"Seems like he's always ahead of you in graduating, making chuunin, jounin…"

"Not anymore! I have surpassed my rival! I have a record of 51 wins vs his 50. I killed 38 enemies during the Sound and Sand attack versus Kakashi's 37."

"Really? You've fought him that many times? You keep count of how many you killed? Is that really something that you should be proud of?" Kaori did not mean to be critical but she couldn't help but disapprove of the super-competitive nature of most shinobi which lead to many serious and unnecessary injuries. '_He seems to have an unhealthy obsession with Kakashi. Hmm…I wonder if it's something more…' _

"A rival is a shinobi's greatest strength. That's how I've kept my resolve to improve. I learned that from Gai-sensei," Lee said defensively.

"That's right, Lee. Everyone should have a rival in life or love. That's what tests your mettle. That's when you can show what kind of person you can be." But inwardly Gai was taken aback by Kaori's words. This woman of his destiny seemed to be strangely unimpressed by his exploits, but a woman who plays hard to get just makes the pursuit more challenging…

And Gai always loved a challenge.

-...-...-...-

_Author's Notes: For some reason I've used Gai a lot more in my stories than I would have thought. I don't particularly like him and I find him difficult to write for, but it seems like he's the closest thing to a friend poor Kakashi has (check out "Kakashi's Stolen Sharingan" where they go on a mission together). I'm trying hard not to write the stereotypical Gai, so there will be no loud declarations of love, per se._


	5. The Sleeping Prince

**The Sleeping Prince**

After a rather interesting lunch (she had to admit Gai was quite a storyteller, or rather a tall tale teller), Kaori returned to her desk. She thought little of the strange man in green but instead her thoughts dwelled on his eternal rival. _'How irritating it must be to have someone like Gai in your face all the time. I wonder how Kakashi can stand it. He must have the patience of a saint._' She added that to the growing list of Kakashi's superior attributes.

Kaori settled down to her stack of reports to update before her afternoon rounds. She was actually in a good mood for once. Tomorrow was her day off. She had her usual errands to run such as going to the market and paying her bills, but she actually had something else to look forward to - her reading sessions. It was not exactly like having a man in her life, but it was something she could talk about to her family whom she would have to see for dinner tomorrow. But then Otoha came back from wherever she was loitering (probably the men's locker room) with a sinister smile on her too red lips.

"So I hear you've been hanging with Gai-sensei," Otoha teased.

"What? Where did you hear that?" Kaori blushed furiously.

"Oh word gets around. I didn't think he was your type."

'_Damn, it must be the cafeteria workers._' "He's not," Kaori stated coldly.

"He's not that bad. Nothing in the looks department but the body's solid and it's all done in the dark anyway. He looks like he could be fun." The buxom brunette was trying hard not to laugh.

"You can have him." With that Kaori abruptly stood up, grabbed her medical bag, and left for her afternoon rounds. She could hear giggles in the background.

'_Damn! Now everyone's going to think Gai and I are involved. I'm going to kill her! Damn, wish I knew a lethal jutsu that can't be traced back to me._'

But then Kaori thought of how Lee and Gai were driven by their rivals. She decided that Otoha would not be her nemesis, her thorn in the side, but rather a rival. Not that she was much of one really. Otoha was not better in anything except attracting men. Why she could exceed her merely by getting breast implants.

With that thought Kaori decided to be each patient's favorite nurse and smiled extra brightly as she checked their monitors, took their temperature and blood pressure, and changed their bandages. She decided to furtively skip Lee for now and continued to Sasuke's room.

The pink haired girl was back and reading to her obsession. "Good afternoon Sakura-san," Kaori greeted. She noticed that Sakura had brought a yellow and white daffodil to place in the little hospital provided vase, just as she did during Sasuke's last stay.

Sakura smiled up at her. She also seemed to be in a better mood. After all, the sleeping Sasuke was the nicest he'd ever been to her and he was all hers now (Ino had to pull double shifts at the flower shop). "Good afternoon Kaori-san. Has there been any change?" she asked hopefully as Kaori checked the monitors.

Kaori shook her head. "Not really but…see this blip on the brainwave monitor? It looks like he's responding to your reading." Not exactly the truth but it couldn't hurt to make her feel better. Then Kaori had another thought.

"So I've been reading to your sensei. It's a romance book, the new one on the Konoha Times bestseller list, 'Gone with the Wind.' Is that the type of book he likes?"

Sakura turned a bit red. '_How could anyone in Konoha not know?'_ she wondered. "Er…not exactly. Umm…more like Icha Icha Violence."

'_So it's true,'_ Kaori thought in disappointment. "So what kind of person is your sensei? Is he really a pervert? I mean has he ever…made any inappropriate moves on you that…didn't seem like it was part of a jutsu?"

"Eeew!" Sakura exclaimed in horror at the thought. _(Inner Sakura: "Bleach my brain!")_ "He's not that kind of pervert. He's a …repressed pervert."

"Repressed pervert? What does that mean?"

"Well…" Sakura pondered. She went into her analytical mode. "Kakashi sensei's propensity for porn appears to be an outlet for… not cultivating real relationships. I mean he's been our sensei for over a year and we know next to nothing about him. We've never even seen his face…" A light bulb went off in her head. "Hey, have you seen his face? Is that why you're asking about him? Did you fall for him? Is he really handsome? Please, please let me see his face! I'll owe you forever!"

'_This girl is very astute, despite being a lovesick fool.'_' Kaori decided to lie. She did not need another person bugging her about seeing Kakashi's face. "No, I haven't seen his face and his file requested that the mask stay on except in emergencies. I was just wondering since I am responsible for him."

"Are you going to read the Icha Icha series to him?" Sakura asked curiously.

It was Kaori's turn to turn red. "No of course not." '_What's the point if he's read all of them?_' "What I'm reading is perfectly appropriate."

'_Yeah right. Something like that would put a porn reader to sleep. She won't get a blip out of him with that,'_ Sakura thought but said, "Yes of course it is."

"By the way, I noticed that Kurenai-sensei placed herself down as Kakashi's contact. Are they involved?" Kaori asked as casually as she could.

"Not that I know of. I heard from Ino that she's been making moves on Asuma-sensei but he seems oblivious. Sigh, why is it that the more a girl likes a guy the more he ignores her?" Sakura sadly thought how obviously she liked Sasuke, but he always gave her the cold shoulder while Naruto was the one who followed her around.

"I can't answer that, even at my age," Kaori said gently. "But usually they come around to see what's good for them," she added positively, giving the girl a reassuring smile.

"I hope so," Sakura smiled back. "Thank you for taking care of Sasuke-kun and Kakashi-sensei. You know, the other nurse isn't as nice as you. She just gave me the look-over when she came by."

"Some of us just aren't as professional. Well, it's been my pleasure despite the circumstances," Kaori said in satisfaction, thinking how much better she was than Otoha. "So, uh, have you been by to visit Lee-san?" the senior nurse asked, wondering how far the shinobi gossip had traveled.

"I dropped by to visit Kakashi-sensei and Lee-kun earlier, but I haven't seen them this afternoon."

"That's g… I mean, he seems in better spirits and I'm sure your visits help. He and his sensei invited me for lunch to thank me," Kaori clearly explained, hoping to use Sakura to stem any further spreading of shinobi gossip. "Lee-san is such a nice, polite boy."

Sakura nodded, "Yes, I didn't like him at first, but then I found he's someone you can rely on, a good friend." Sakura emphasized the last part in case Kaori had any matchmaking ideas.

"Right, we can all use a friend," Kaori agreed thoughtfully. She then left Sakura to her reading and went off to visit her last patient on this wing.

Kaori surprisingly found Lee not exercising. Instead she found the genin scribbling in a little notepad, which he quickly hid when he saw her approach.

'_How cute – he must be writing little love notes to Sakura. I should try to push her toward Lee, but it's really none of my business_,' Kaori thought then said, "I'd like to thank you and Gai-sensei again for a…very interesting lunch."

"It was our pleasure Kaori-sama. We both enjoyed your company very much," Lee said while bowing.

'_My company? All I did was sit, eat, listen to them talk, and watch them eat voraciously. Then again, I wonder how many people are willing to do just that.'_

"I hope we can all get together again real soon," Lee continued.

"Well…I'm pretty busy but we'll see," Kaori responded evasively.

"Will you be here tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow's my day off, but I might drop by for a little while… to check my mail." Actually, Kaori wanted to spend more time with Kakashi.

"Oh…what will you be doing on your day off?"

"Umm, just relaxing, running errands stuff like that. I have no food in my fridge," she laughed. "Then I have to see my family for dinner."

"Your family? Do you have parents and siblings?" Lee asked with interest.

"Yes, my parents are both still alive and I have a younger brother and a younger sister. I know it's tough being a shinobi, so many of you are orphans. I'm sorry," Kaori added sympathetically and a bit guiltily. Civilians were being protected by people like Gai and Kakashi, and even Lee. After so many wars, many of the shinobi clans had dwindled down to nothing. "I really have to thank you Lee, and the other shinobi, for protecting us civilians and this village," she added positively while pumping up the blood pressure monitor.

"No, we should thank you for helping us when we are injured," Lee said graciously.

"I guess we all have our role in life and we can only do our best," Kaori said as she checked his temperature with the ear thermometer.

"That's what Gai sensei says too!"

"Well, he must be very wise," Kaori smiled "Anyway, I glad to see you're getting some rest. It's just as important as training. Your vitals look good," she said while writing down the numbers from the blood pressure machine and ear thermometer. There really wasn't anything wrong with Lee that they could do anything about, but it was just standard procedure to continue taking his temperature, pulse, and blood pressure.

"Yes! Gai sensei is the wisest man I have ever known."

'_Poor boy, doesn't get out much does he?_' "Er, I'm sure he is. Well, I'll see you next time," Kaori said as she readied to go. She noticed that Sakura had brought a fresh daffodil for Lee as well.

"Yes, good-bye for now," Lee replied. He watched the nurse leave, then mysteriously took out his little notepad and started scribbling again.

After the rest of her afternoon rounds, Kaori practically skipped to Kakashi's room with her book discretely hidden in her bag of medical supplies and equipment.

"Good afternoon Kakashi-san," she said cheerfully. She noticed that despite his immobility, that shock of gray hair was again covering his forehead. She gently brushed it aside and caressed his brow until that troublesome crease between his eyes disappeared again. "I hope you don't mind, but I've been doing some research on you. I'm sorry for all that you've been through. I know it's all for the village. I can understand why you read that sort of…escapist fantasy. We all need an outlet for stress, right? I haven't been able to find someone else who has the time to read to you, so I guess you'll just have to bear with me. Everyone's so busy nowadays with the Hokage gone." Kaori sighed as remembered his inspirational speeches at the Academy. She walked over and adjusted the shades for the night.

"I had lunch will your eternal rival today," she laughed. "He's quite a character. I wonder how you put with him. He claims he's beaten you more times than you've beaten him, but I'm sure he's just boasting. You must let him win, right? If he were really better than you, he'd stop competing with you," Kaori astutely evaluated. "He and his genin Lee are really, really close. A bit too close, maybe unhealthily close if you ask me. He's supposed to be his sensei. He shouldn't play favorites, right? There should be some distance between sensei and their students, like I have with my patients." Kaori fluffed up Kakashi's pillow and carefully replaced it. "Sakura claims your genin don't know anything about you. That's not really true is it? You and Sasuke must have been close. That poor boy really needs a father figure to guide him and knock some respect into him. Lee is almost too respectful. Funny how they're so different. Of course, Sakura goes for the cool kid on the block. Maybe she'll wise up one day."

She took his pulse by hand, just so she could touch his wrist, then his temperature and blood pressure. She checked the monitors and wrote everything down on his chart. There was also a fresh yellow and white daffodil in a little vase on the stand next to the bed. Evidence that Sakura had visited her sensei.

Kaori then settled down with her book. "I know this isn't the usual romance genre you like, but I think it's pretty good and we should be finished pretty soon. I don't think I can read the Icha Icha books to you…but maybe if you were to give me sign…" She laughed to herself. '_Right, someone in a coma is going to suddenly move around because he wants me to read porn_…'

Kaori dropped her book in shock when she saw Kakashi's body suddenly shift from its prone position to its right side to face her. '_No way! It must just be a muscle contraction or something. Coma patients do not move like that…'_

She picked up her book and walked over to observe her patient more closely. His eyes were still closed. She looked over at the brain wave monitor. There was a definite spike exactly at the time when she mentioned the Icha Icha books.

"You really do want me to read an Icha Icha book to you, don't you?"

A lovely arched eyebrow twitched in response and another, albeit smaller, blip appeared on the monitor. Kaori couldn't help but laugh in embarrassment. "All right," she said slowly, "I'll try to get a copy. But today let's get through this. Maybe the…er…relationship will heat up towards the end."

Kaori read for a long time, forgetting that her official work hours were over. The plot and romance sped up toward the end and she forgot that she was reading to an audience. Tears rimmed her red eyes and she had to stop several times to blow her nose. Finally she closed the back cover of the book. _'Such exquisite tragedy, no wonder it was on the bestseller list. Sigh, so much more emotional depth than that explicit material.'_

She looked over at the sleeping form, which had mysteriously shifted back to its original position. "Wasn't that a good book?" She looked over at the monitor but there were no other blips.

"Sigh, you're not really a pervert are you? Didn't you like that twist at the end? Where the girl finds out the boy was actually a prince in disguise? But then it was too late…and that last line was really something..."

Kaori packed up her things and then leaned over to whisper the last line in Kakashi's ear, "Goodnight Sweet Prince, and may flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."

-…-…-…-

_Author's Notes: Last line is from "Hamlet" with a slight change._


	6. Kaori's Day Off

_Author's Notes: I estimate that Naruto and Jiraiya were gone for about 3 months, but I won't be writing 3 months worth of material. I think there will be another 3 chapters before Kakashi wakes. Unlike all my other stories, this one has not been planned out and I'm writing it on the fly, so it could be more or less._

**Kaori's Day Off**

Kaori got up an hour later than her usual workday time. She allowed herself the luxury of that extra hour on her days off. Anymore would be too disruptive to her system. She went through her usual morning routine and sadly opened her empty refrigerator, wishing very badly that magical elves filled it during the night. Alas, it was still empty except for the one-third container of miso ramen from last night, which she wisely saved.

After heating up and eating her leftovers, Kaori changed to her regular casual clothes - a simple red blouse, which complemented her chestnut hair, and black pants, which were practical. Instead of tying her hair up in her usual official bun, she tied it in a loose ponytail. The pretty nurse's brow furrowed as she applied her make-up while thinking over her two dilemmas: food and porn.

'_First things first. I have to get groceries.'_ She then sat at her little dining table, pencil in hand, writing down her grocery list.

'Chicken, cereal, eggs, milk, fruit…bananas, oranges, grapes…vegetables…asparagus, lettuce, tomato…no that's a fruit…well, whatever…"

Then her thoughts strayed to her second dilemma. How could she get a hold of an Icha Icha book without anyone knowing? She could not just walk into an adult bookstore. She did not want even the cashier to know. After all, how would it look to have Kuchiki Kaori, the prim and proper nurse, an example to all her peers, be a known porn reader? She couldn't just have it delivered either. Even though she heard adult material was wrapped in plain brown paper, anything from Pink's Bookstore would give her away to the postman. Maybe if she ordered it from a large bookstore which offered everything…but then it would take too long to deliver. And whoever filled the order would know. Even if she used a different name, her address would give her away and she had no P.O. Box. It was a dilemma she could not solve in her paranoid state.

'_Maybe if I broken into Kakashi's home and borrowed his books…_'

She was shaken out of her thoughts by a series of loud rapid knocks at her door. She opened it to find Konoha's self-proclaimed noble green beast standing there with his arms full of grocery bags.

"I hear you're in dire need of sustenance," Gai said gallantly while entering Kaori's abode without her permission.

It took a minute before Kaori understood what was going on. Lee must have informed his sensei that she needed to buy food and Gai decided to run her errands for her. She watched as Gai unpacked all the staples (two dozen eggs, a gallon of milk, a ten pound bag of rice, ten pounds of hamburger meat, a dozen pork chops, four shell steaks, and a family pack of chicken drumsticks which would easily last her single self all week), fruit (a large bunch of bananas, a sack of oranges, a huge honeydew melon, and a quart of blueberries), and vegetables (a large bunch of carrots, a huge head of cabbage, five heads of broccoli, two bags of spinach, and a long vine of fresh tomatoes…no…that's a fruit).

"This should last you a couple of days," Gai proclaimed proudly. He then proceeded to talk about the nutritional benefits of antioxidants found in blueberries, beta-carotene found in carrots, iron in spinach, potassium in bananas, and vitamin C in oranges and tomatoes, which were actually fruit.

"Er…thanks, but I can't eat all this. I don't think this will even fit in my fridge. I'll just pay you back for the few items that I need…"

"Pay? Pay me back for expressing my gratitude for the excellent care that you've shown my dear Lee? This is nothing! Take it all! I'll make it fit in your refrigerator." Gai proceeded to organize the groceries. "I hope your dog likes the ground sirloin," Gai added as he found a place for it.

"Dog? Oh…yes, I'm sure he'll love it." Kaori knew she shouldn't accept the groceries, especially the meat since that was based on a lie. Ethically it would appear that Gai was bribing her to provide special care for his student even if he meant it as gratitude. But her practical mind screamed at her to take it and freeze whatever she could and eat whatever couldn't be frozen. Besides, who would know? And even if someone did, it was no different than a thank you gift basket of fruit or sausage and cheese, just much more.

Kaori decided to think of Gai as a large magical elf who just helped stock her refrigerator. He was well dressed for the part.

Then Kaori had another thought. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Anything for you, honorable lady."

"Yeah, er, can you pick up a package from Pink's Book store? Tell them it's for …Inoue Otoha. I was supposed to pick it up for her, but I don't have time today to go to that part of town," said the not-so-honorable lady.

"No problem. That's hardly a D mission for someone like me. Now if you would like me to deliver those books across the deserts of Wind Country to an opposing feudal lord who has a ban on books…"

"Uh, no, just pick it up and bring it here. I'm not sure how much it'll be but here…" Kaori fumbled for her purse.

"No need to give me any money. Think of it as a gift for your friend. Otoha… she's one of the other nurses, right?"

"Yes, well, please don't mention this to her since… she'll think I'm lazy." Kaori could feel herself getting in deeper and deeper.

But luckily for her, Gai was not the inquisitive type. He was just happy to do a favor for the woman of his destiny. "I'll be back before you can bat even one of your lovely eyelashes," he said with a wink and a thumbs up before he left the poor woman in peace.

"Thank you very much," Kaori replied as she quickly closed the door and grabbed her phone. She immediately called Pink's Bookstore. She ordered the complete Icha Icha paperback set since it was less expensive than individual volumes and she figured paperback was good enough. She gave them Otoha's name and told them someone would come by in a few minutes to pay for them and pick them up. The clerk was confused and asked if she didn't already have a set. Kaori had to explain it was a gift for a friend. He also asked "Otoha" why she didn't return his calls. Kaori nicely told him she had been out of town and would love to get together with him later in the week. She felt herself sinking even deeper in the sea of deception.

Twenty minutes later, she heard the same loud rapid knocks on her door. Gai was already back with her package.

"The customer service at the bookstore is atrociously lacking," he complained. "I had to wait for them to fill the order. You'd think they'd have it ready since it was pre-ordered. Those clerks need to undergo some of my speed efficiency training…"

"Er, yes thank you very much. Now I'm sure you're busy today so please don't let me keep you…" Kaori said guiltily, thinking how she just used him to get porn for his eternal rival.

"Yes, I have to meet my short handed team for another mission, but I'll see you later," Gai said with a twinkle in his eye and in his too shiny smile.

"Later? But I…" Kaori was about to protest, but the odd man in green was already gone.

Kaori shrugged and figured she wasn't going to be home all day so there was no chance of running into Gai again. So she pushed away all thoughts of Gai and opened her package.

There they were. Three little orange books titled "Icha Icha Paradise" and three little red books titled "Icha Icha Violence."

Kaori felt her cheeks warm and her fingers tremble as she reached for the first volume of the first set…

-…-…-…-

After running her errands (she still needed things other than what Gai bought) and eating lunch (vegetable omelet made from Gai's groceries) Kaori made her way to the hospital. She entered through the visitors' entrance and made her way quietly to Kakashi's room. But he was not alone. Her rival was there, suspiciously leaning over him.

"What do you think you're doing?" Kaori asked abruptly.

Otoha quickly turned and saw her superior glaring back. "Nothing, I was just adjusting his blankets."

Kaori carefully examined the bedding and Kakashi's mask and clothes. It seemed Otoha was doing, or planned to do, much more than that.

"You don't need to be here anymore, I'll take over now," Kaori ordered.

"Isn't today your day off?" protested the junior nurse.

"I'm continuing the reading sessions," Kaori replied defensively.

"What's the point of reading to him? Even if he wakes up, he won't remember all you did for him. You'll just get a thank you at most and maybe a fruit basket - if he's generous," Otoha said cruelly as she left.

"It's my job," Kaori replied coldly to the closed door. But Otoha's words had hit a nerve. What would happen when Kakashi woke up? Would it be as Otoha said and she would never see him again? When would Naruto and Jiraiya return with Tsunade? It had only been two days. Kaori estimated it would take them at least a week. That was plenty of time to spend with her sleeping prince. She wouldn't have to worry about what came next for a while.

"Good-day Kakashi-san. Just ignore that bimbo. She's always wrong about everything. But I wonder when Jiraiya-sama and Naruto-san will return with Tsunade-sama. I wonder if Shizune-san is still with her. We used to be friends you know, but she's much more talented. I was extremely jealous back then and I'm afraid I wasn't very nice to her. Then she left and I never apologized. I haven't thought about her in years. I wonder if she still remembers me."

Kaori sighed guiltily as she thought about her ex-childhood friend. Shizune was such a nice diffident girl, easy to pick on despite her talent. '_I wonder if she's changed. She must be very strong now that she's been training directly with Tsunade-sama. So lucky, I wish I had a teacher like that.'_ Kaori didn't know what a drunken bitch Tsunade was, who rarely trained Shizune in anything. Poor Shizune was reduced to being practically a slave these past years.

From her bag, Kaori took out "Icha Icha Paradise Volume 1" astutely wrapped in a book jacket titled "The Teachings of Konoha's Founding Hokage" in case anyone walked in. She had already ready the first 30 pages and found it hard to put down.

"I…er…brought over a copy of "Icha Icha Paradise," the first book. I know you've read it already but I haven't so we'll start with that, okay?" Kaori looked over at her comatose patient and saw his right eyebrow twitching in anticipation. A series of little blips appeared on the monitor.

"It's much better than I expected. You can tell it's obviously written by a man, but the author has a good sense of what women want in terms of being courted and it's really funny. I have to admit I was shocked to learn the author is Jiraiya-sama himself. So that's what he retired to do…wait a minute… is he a pervert? How does someone come up with this stuff unless he is? Well, I guess he's had a hard life too, being in the shinobi wars and all that." Kaori excused Jiraiya for his perversion since it seemed Kakashi was one of his biggest fans.

Kaori pushed a chair right up next to the bed. "Umm…hmm," she cleared her throat and then tentatively read a sentence in a rather low voice and looked over at the monitor. It seemed her voice was loud enough as another blip appeared. Feeling a bit less embarrassed, Kaori read with more confidence, but careful to keep her voice at a low volume in case Otoha or someone else was spying on her.

Some time later, after twenty pages, Kaori sensed someone at the door. She quickly looked up and saw Sakura.

"Good afternoon Kaori-san," Sakura said in greeting. "I just came in to check on the daffodil I bought yesterday. A daily change of water is best. I learned that from my flower arrangement class. Hey, what's that you're reading?"

"Er…it's a book of the first Hokage's teachings. You probably learned them at the Academy. I thought I'd take a refresher course," Kaori said a bit nervously.

"Hmm, I should too, can I see that for a sec?" Sakura asked as she reached for the book.

'_Oh no! What the hell am I going to do? I can't let her see that I'm actually reading porn! My reputation…' _Kaori started to panic.

Suddenly she turned and pointed at the window**_. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!"_** she shouted hysterically.

Sakura quickly ran to the window with kunai at the ready. A scared pigeon flew away at her approach. She looked out into the inner courtyard. There was nothing unusual at all.

"Oh, I guess it was just the shadow of a bird. Sorry about that. Here's the book." Kaori had quickly employed kawarimi to exchange the Icha Icha book with the appropriate one, which she luckily carried in her bag. _'Good thing I keep up with my ninja skills, no matter how limited.' _She mentally patted herself on the back.

Sakura flipped through the book and nodded. "Yes, this is the same one we had at the Academy, only an older edition," the pink haired girl evaluated. "Well, since Kakashi-sensei already has a visitor, I'll go visit Sasuke-kun." She gave Kaori a knowing smile. It was obvious to her that the nurse had a crush on her sensei – why else would she be here on her regular day off. But why would she choose to read such a boring book?

-...-...-...-

_Next up: Kaori's Family Dinner_


	7. Kaori's Family Dinner

_**Kaori's Family Dinner**_

"In the hot springs, the group of young women soaked for hours, allowing the natural salts of the water to cleanse and permeate their pores, and flow into their charming concealed crevices. Soon their skin would be smoother and softer than the finest silk. The thought of touching such sumptuousness sent tingles throughout his body's network of nerves, from the tips his fingers down to…" Kaori read, then blushed. So engrossed was she, she almost forgot about the single member of her audience, and the time.

Kaori looked at her watch. It was already late afternoon, almost evening. She was nearly halfway through the book. It was a short book but reading out loud took much longer than reading to yourself. And she had to stop at various point to catch her breath, take a drink of water, and to splash her face with some cold, cold water. The book had that particular effect on readers.

"I guess that's all for today. Let's see how you liked it." The nurse checked Kakashi's brainwave monitor and saw that the normal baseline was definitely elevated throughout the reading session, and there were occasionally groups of peaks that seemed indicative of REM (rapid eye movement), which meant he could have been dreaming. She was well impressed by the response. _'I wonder if it's because it's something familiar that he's responding to, rather than this specific book. Maybe if I read something familiar that's not porn…_' Kaori decided that would be her next experiment since the close call with Sakura made it too dangerous to continue to read the Icha Icha book. It was well written, erotic, and quite amusing, but really not as good as a sincere romance with less anatomical detail. That depth of feeling was missing.

She lowered the shades and was about to smooth out the blanket when she noticed the area right belowher patient'swaist was bunched up into a tent configuration. _'Oh my, I guess he had some really good dreams,' _the embarrassed nursed thought. Kaori tentatively tucked the blankets in tighter around him, carefully avoiding touching the body there. Then she went to the bathroom again to splash some more cold water on her face. _'Stop thinking those kinds of thoughts,'_ she scolded herself as she took a deep breath and held it to clear her head.

"Well, guess I should be going," Kaori said reluctantly to her sleeping prince when she was done. "I have to visit the old folks, our bi-weekly family dinner. Sigh, I know exactly what they'll say to me. My mom will say, 'Kaori, have you met a nice man yet? Or even a not-so-nice one?' And then my sister will chime in, 'Any man will do at your age.' Then my brother will laugh and tell them to lay off me but then he'll add, 'Maybe you should keep an eye on the young genin.' Then dad will get into his lecture mode and say, 'Kaori, no man is perfect. Just settle down with someone stable in mind, body, and income.' Sigh, sometimes I wonder if having a family is really all that great."

Then she looked at the lonely silent figure and thought how genuinely lucky she was. "I guess it's better than being completely alone, isn't it?" she asked no one in particular. "Why is it so hard to find a good man? I'm really not that picky." She stared at her sleeping prince for a minute longer before whispering good-night.

'_If only I really had a man like him – handsome, honorable, intelligent, strong, patient...'_ The lovelorn nurse listed all of Kakashi's presumed fine attributes on her way to her parents' house, on the outskirts of Konoha. She imagined him waking from his coma because of her healing skills and immediately falling in love with her. _'Kaori-chan, you are the only one for me, my guardian angel, my love...' _Of course she would play hard to get for a while but then…

Daydreaming, Kaori took her time to get there. She preferred to arrive just before dinner, eat, then leave, without having to endure endless questions and advice from her family. But when she arrived, to her surprise, her family did not greet her with the usual teasing or questions about her love life. If anything, they seemed strangely subdued. They just looked at her, said hi, and went back to whatever they were doing. Maybe they had all given up on her.

That annoyed Kaori because she was ready with a response to whether there was someone special in her life. She had planned to say, "Yes, there is a man in my life. He's the top jounin in Konoha. Maybe you've heard of him, Hatake Kakashi." But instead it seemed she was being ignored.

Kaori's mother, a pleasantly plump but attractive woman who looked younger than her years, busied herself in the kitchen. Her formerly chestnut hair, now lighter, was pulled back in a bun, just like Kaori's when she was on duty. She was in the middle of forming rice balls when her eldest child arrived.

Kaori tried to bait her mother first. "Hi, mom, need any help?"

"Oh no dear, you just go sit down and rest before dinner. I know how hard you have to work all week."

"Yes…about work…I met this…"

"Fine, fine, we'll talk about it later. I need to finish making dinner and then change."

Change? Since when did her mother ever bothered to change for dinner? Normally she would continue to wear her apron throughout dinner. But Kaori just shrugged and tried her dad next.

Her father was an average man in height and build, who luckily still had his hair although it was now mostly gray. He worked as an accountant for the largest accounting firm in Konoha, earning a decent enough living to provide for his family.

"So, Dad, when are you retiring?" was Kaori's usual question to him.

"When you get married," was his usual response. But today he just said, "Soon enough. These old bones won't take much more."

"Dad you're only 59 years old. Sandaime, may the heavens rest his soul, was nearly 70 and he was still able to stand up to his former student."

"He didn't have three children to raise," he replied with a laugh. "Children age you exponentially."

Kaori waited for him to say something like, "I hope you'll discover that for yourself soon," but he didn't. He went back to reading the Konoha Times.

Kaori next approached her sister Sumire, who looked little like her. Sumire, taller and strongly built, was not as pretty as she, in Kaori's humble opinion, but she attracted more boys when they were growing up together. Kaori was sure, like Otoha, it was because of her bigger breasts. Although she was a couple of years younger, Sumire already had a five year old daughter and a three year old son and a four month old baby boy. It seemed she came without her husband or her two older children today.

"Give me a hand 'kay," Sumire mumbled tiredly as she handed the crying baby over to Kaori.

Kaori walked the baby around the room, hoping to appease it while Sumire fumbled with the huge diaper bag. She finally found the baby's pacifier and stuck it forcefully in his mouth. The little tyrant settled down and sucked hungrily.

Kaori tried to hand the baby back, but her sister quickly stepped into the kitchen to heat up a bottle. That left her brother and his busybody crazy bitch of a wife. They were currently fussing over their only child, pride and joy, spoiled brat, two year old princess. The little monster was in the middle of ripping into her teddy bear and pulling out all the stuffing. But that didn't stop her sister-in-law from saying, "Pacifiers will ruin his teeth. Such a bad habit…"

"He doesn't have any teeth yet," Kaori pointed out.

"That's not the point," her brother Akira said, siding as usual with his annoying know-it-all-wife.

Kaori felt her good humor drop dramatically. The two of them always had that effect on her. Her brother was tolerable without his wife, but together they were unbearable. He had been such an easygoing, generous boy, but he was becoming more and more like her. Why did that happen with some men? They seemed to morph into someone unrecognizable to please a woman. Kaori swore that she would not try to change the man she loved, otherwise why would she have loved him in the first place.

She could have let their comment go, but Kaori was already geared up for a fight. "It's fine since his teeth haven't yet started coming in."

"How would you know? You don't have children and you're not a dentist," the bitch challenged.

"I'm a certified medical professional who reads up on all manner of medical texts, especially pediatrics," Kaori countered.

"You're just a nurse…"

That did it. Kaori was now ready to tear out her jugular. "A pacifier to appease an infant is better parenting than buying expensive gifts to appease an already spoiled brat!"

"You don't know anything about raising a child! You don't know what it's like…"

Then her brother broke in, "Why don't you go help mom and Sumi in the kitchen."

Kaori shrugged triumphantly and carried the baby into the kitchen to wait for his bottle.

"What's going on out there?" her younger sister asked.

"Nothing, just you know who acting like a you know what."

"Sigh, why can't you all just get along," their mother said.

"You don't like her either. That's why you hide in the kitchen all the time," Sumire pointed out.

"I have to change," their mother wisely decided not to get involved. "Kaori, can you please set the table," she said while disappearing from their sight.

"Bottle ready?" Kaori tried to hand over the baby again. He seemed very ready to cry as his efforts to suck milk from his pacifier proved fruitless.

This time her sister accepted the little bundle of joy and poop, then expertly replaced the pacifier with the bottle with one hand.

"You know, for a nurse, and one that also works in pediatrics, you don't seem to like babies very much," Sumire commented with an ironic smile.

"I like kids that have been toilet trained," Kaori admitted. She waited expectantly for her sister to say something like, "Wait till you have your own. So when's that gonna be? You don't need a guy for it. Single parenting is in," but she didn't.

Instead, Sumire asked, "So what happened in there?"

"What's-her-name said you shouldn't use pacifiers because it ruins teeth."

Sumire shrugged. "You should just ignore her like I do. Stop being so contentious all the time."

"Me? Contentious? Where's this coming from?"

"Nothing, it's just…I want things to work out for you."

"Thanks sis, but I'm doing just fine. And what makes you say I'm contentious? I think I'm very nice, most of the time."

"Sure you are, to your patients. But I remember how you eyed my boyfriends…"

"Those lame sacks of couch potatoes? I was just looking out for you."

"Really? Lame? Is that what you think of Kazuhiko?"

"Who?"

"My husband!"

"Oh, yeah, him, of course not. He's a good guy." Actually, Kaori could barely remember his name after all these years because he had made such a nonexistent impression on her. He was also an accountant at the same company as their father's. He was a quiet guy and you wouldn't know he was there until you tripped over him. Then you might think it was just your sandal straps that were loose. Still it seemed strange for her sister to be so serious.

"You know…I wasn't going to tell you this but…did you know when dad invited him for dinner back then, he was trying to set you up?" Sumire asked.

Kaori could not remember the incident at all. She just shrugged ambiguously.

"But you hardly looked at him and I did most of the talking. You dismissed him too easily so that's why I'm the one married to him," Sumire continued.

'_No big loss,'_ Kaori thought but did not reply. Instead she entered the dining room carrying a stack of plates, bowls, and chopsticks. The table was covered with the formal tablecloth, normally used only on special occasions like birthdays. The centerpiece was a large elaborate fresh flower arrangement. _'We must be celebrating something…maybe Dad's really retiring or maybe someone got a promotion or maybe someone's pregnant again…_' Kaori inferred.

But Sumire was not finished with the talk with her older sister. Despite not being as book smart or pretty, she had better people skills and a nonexistent temper, perfect for being a mother. She continued, "Like I said, don't be so contentious. Like how you are with that nurse you work with…"

"You mean Otoha?" asked Kaori as she placed dinnerware in front of each seat.

"You're always complaining about her."

"Do I? But that's because I have valid reasons. She's annoying and lazy and incompetent. I do all the paperwork while she files her nails!" Kaori nearly broke a plate at the thought.

"Well…I guess what I really mean is you need to lighten up. Don't be so judgmental. Look for the good in people…"

Kaori glared at her sister. That was one of the words their parents always used when lecturing her. But Kaori had to admit it was true. She was judgmental and often thought she was better than others, but then again, she really was better in those cases, so what's wrong with that? But before Kaori could retort, their mother stepped back into the kitchen.

"Dinner's almost ready," their mother announced. Kaori was surprised to see she had changed into her best kimono. "We can eat as soon as our guest arrives."

"Guest?" Kaori was about to ask when the doorbell rang. '_Oh no, they've set me up on a blind date without telling me! I thought after the last fiasco they gave up. No wonder they've been acting so strangely today.' _The last time involved a traveling salesman from Earth Country who already had a wife and child.

"Kaori, please answer the door," her father ordered.

Kaori sighed and moved to obey him. If it got bad she could always claim she had an emergency at the hospital. Being in the medical profession was good for times like this.

Kaori opened the door. She was about to say "Welcome to the Kuchiki household." But all she saw in front of her was a huge 50 plus pound precooked turkey. Then a head peeked out from behind it. A very familiar looking head - with black fringe hair and thick black eyebrows.

Kaori felt a scream welling up from the deepest part of her diaphragm. It took everything within her power to suppress it.

-…-…-…-

_Next Up: Gai's Strategy_

_Author's Notes: Inoue Kazuhiko is Kakashi's voice actor (seiyuu in Japanese)._


	8. Gai's Strategy

_Author's Notes: Thank you to those who left a review. I'm trying hard to make this a full detailed story :)_

_This chapter takes place prior to the last chapter._

_-...-...-...-_

_**Gai's Strategy**_

_The previous night, Gai planned his love strategy with Lee, after Kaori had returned home._

Gai was well known for his brawn, not brains. But every once in while he had a great idea. At least to him it was a great idea, and to Lee. But to normal people, his great ideas were usually kind of out there.

"So are you going to send her flowers tomorrow?" Lee asked his sensei who dropped by after his mission.

"Something as simple as flowers would be fine for youthful expectations. But a mature woman like Kaori will not be impressed by a mere flurry of flora. In my long experience, doing something special for a woman is better than a simple gift of ephemeral floral arrangements," Gai said confidently, then pondered, "However, it does require knowing specifically what she needs."

Lee nodded enthusiastically. His sensei really did know the hearts of women!

"All right, now show me what you have on her," Gai ordered.

Lee took out his little notepad and squinted at his own handwriting. "She has the day off tomorrow. She plans to go grocery shopping and then visit her family. Her parents are still living and she has a younger brother and sister," Lee reported.

Gai nodded in approval. "I see…she's in dire need of food… That's what I can do for her! Judging by her diminutive size, she requires much more nutrients. Now her family…we need more information on them. Who are they, what are their likes and dislikes, what do they do for a living…a full dossier…"

"I'll get right on it!" Lee volunteered.

Gai looked affectionately at his little accomplice. "Okay, now you've learned about data gathering (_rather than spying or stalking_) in the Academy and our missions. What do you propose?"

"Hmm…" Lee pondered. Alas, Lee was also known for his speed and brawn rather than brains. The problem was, because of his injuries, he couldn't perform the usual mission duties like secretly following the target. "Do jounin have access to civilian records?"

"Ah, I see what you mean. We should check the hospital records - that should have her address and emergency contacts, which are most likely to be her parents. From that information I should be able to track down her family. Brilliant Lee!"

They waited until after dinner when the nurses would be checking on the patients, which left only one nurse on duty at the front desk. Two green figures silently scoped the hospital halls.

Otoha was at the main desk, impatiently waiting for her shift to end. She was wearing headphones and swaying in time with the music she was listening to on her CD player. Despite her inattentiveness, she noticed Lee walking by on his crutches. She looked up and asked in an irritated tone, "May I help you?"

Lee shook his head, "No thank you. I am fine. I just wanted to walk around a bit before going to bed."

Otoha went back to listening to her music and reading her magazine, "The Konoha Inquirer."

Gai gave Lee the thumbs up from around the corner.

Lee took a couple of more steps then suddenly fell to the floor, yelping in pain. The nurse ignored him. Her music was on so loud she didn't hear him at all.

Gai motioned for Lee to move in closer and do it again. Then again. Now Lee was really feeling the pain. The next time Lee crashed against Otoha's desk, sending the magazine flying out of her hands. She couldn't ignore him this time.

"Let's get you back to bed," the grumpy nurse muttered as she grabbed Lee by his bad arm. Lee yelped out in pain, for real this time, and allowed himself to be man-handled and forced back to his room.

Meanwhile Gai quickly sat in front of the computer terminal. He was no computer expert but luckily it was set up to search for patients' names.

Gai typed in Kaori as the first name and left everything else blank. There were seven patient records with that name. He clicked them one by one until the fifth record revealed Kaori's picture. He scanned the screen, looking for pertinent information, and jotted down her address, and her parent's names and address. Her medical history revealed that she had been in the Academy nearly two decades agoand she had twisted her ankle during practice.

Then he did a search on her parents' names and found that her father's insurance was paid for by one of Konoha's top accounting firms, which also happened to do independent audits on the Hokage's office. Gai knew that from the time the auditor had questioned him about his requisition for training weights of half a ton. There wasn't much information on her mother so he assumed she was a homemaker.

Footsteps approached so Gai quickly exited the screen and darted to the opposite hallway from whence the steps came. Otoha returned to her desk and stretched her long limbs lazily above her head, thrusting out her ample chest. Gai couldn't help but think it was a pity Kaori was lacking in that area. But that was all right as he had plans to turn Kaori into the perfect woman.

From Gai's long (and unsuccessful) experience in the pursuit of the usually fairer sex, he found that subtlety worked better than the direct approach (in his case). His youthful declarations of love were always met by cold stares or laughter. Instead of running into his arms, the girls ran away from him, with surprisingly impressive speed. He decided that the best way to win over Kaori was to win over her family, and make himself an indispensable part of her life (whether she wanted that or not).

So as his first step, he and Lee spent most of the night drafting a letter of introduction to Kaori's parents. The next morning he sent it along with his resume and a large floral arrangement.

_To the most esteemed parents of Kuchiki Kaori:_

_I, Maito Gai, am writing this letter of introduction in order to declare my intention to court your most beloved daughter Kaori. I have recently realized that she is the woman of my destiny._

_Flowers and youth may be ephemeral but like a stubborn weed I will stand steadfast by her side in all types of rainy weather, for like kunai and shuriken, blood and guts, peanut butter and jelly, and sweet and sour, we are destined to be together. _

_To prove my worthiness, I have attached my updated resume with the number and types of missions I have completed in my many years as one of Konoha's top jounin. Rest assured that your precious one will be protected both physically and financially._

_I hope to have your approval and any assistance that may be necessary to win over her heart and soul like she has won over mine._

_Please expect me for dinner tonight at 6:30pm sharp. This will also be a pleasant surprise for Kaori._

_Sincerely yours,_

_Future son-in-law, a.k.a. Jounin Taijutsu Master, a.k.a. Konoha's Noble Green Beast, _

_Maito Gai_

Kaori's parents were so pleased that their daughter finally had a serious suitor that they overlooked the rather strange letter.

Her father reviewed the resume and mission information with his calculator. "This guy's loaded! She's hit the jackpot!" he proclaimed after crunching some numbers.

Her mother was enthused by the beautiful and expensive basket of flowers. "And he's generous," she added happily as she touched the petals of the rare orchids.

Gai definitely had their approval, thus far. Of course, whether on purpose or not, he wisely did not enclose a picture with his resume.

Gai had inferred that since Kaori's father was an accountant, he was concerned with money and whether his daughter would be care for financially. Thus he enclosed his lengthy ten page resume which detailed his most dangerous missions and their corresponding commissions. He decided to send flowers to her mother who as a mature settled woman would appreciate the gesture. After all, how many dedicated husbands bought flowers for their wives after decades of marriage?

But the problem was how could he get in the good graces with her siblings? He did not get the chance to research them. Gai decided to worry about that later as he did have errands to run and official responsibilities to attend to the next day.

That morning, before his next mission, Gai went grocery shopping for Kaori, selecting the best cuts of meat, the premium size fruits and vegetables, and anything nutritionally fortified. By insisting it was a thank you gift for taking care of Lee, it took the pressure off Kaori. So instead of being overwhelmed and scared off by Gai's exuberance, she would accept the gift and then gradually accept him. At least that was his plan. It seemed to work as she trusted him enough to ask him to pick up a package at the bookstore. Gai never entered bookstores so he was not familiar with Pink's stock. He didn't mind running the simple errand for Kaori and thought how nice of her to offer to pick up books for her friend at the hospital. That other nurse was definitely not as hardworking as his Kaori.

The mission that morning involved a problem at the Nara laboratories and a renegade food scientist who was experimenting with growth hormones. Gai and his two genin team managed to capture the stray animals which had broken out of the laboratory. One of them was a huge turkey, which unfortunately met an untimely death during their pursuit. It broke its own neck when it tripped while escaping.

Gai had the bright idea of preparing it as his contribution to dinner. Tenten and Neji did not think it was a good idea to eat experimental animals, but their protests fell on deaf ears. After all, to Gai, the bigger, the more grandiose the gesture the better. And secretly he hoped growth hormones would help Kaori in the right places.

The afternoon was spent cooking birdzilla. Tenten and Neji were forced to watch it and took turns basting it while their sensei ran off to who knows where. Gai had ordered Neji to use his byakugan to ensure it was thoroughly and evenly cooked. As the two sat mournfully in Gai's kitchen waiting for the kitchen timer to go off every 20 minutes, they commiserated over their sensei acting weirder than usual.

"I can't believe we're wasting our time cooking this monster," muttered Neji as he pushed the turkey back in the oven after basting.

"Be thankful Gai sensei decided on the turkey rather than the two hundred pound pig. That would take days to cook," sighed Tenten.

"If it's not done in time, I'll have to cook it the jyuuken way."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll force chakra into it."

"That doesn't sound like a good idea at all."

"It's not going to explode. My chakra control is too good for that."

"No, I mean it's already been genetically modified. What if your chakra changes the cells at the genetic level? Maybe the turkey will become inedible. Chakra and science don't always mix well," warned Tenten

"It'll be inedible any way if it's not cooked," Neji reasoned.

"Let's just wait and see. Gai sensei says six hours should do it. Sigh, he's done this before."

"You mean cook a 50 plus pound turkey? I didn't think something like that normally existed. Aren't they usually half the size?"

"I don't know. What I meant was he's gone overboard again to impress a girl."

"Who's the latest victim?" asked Neji indifferently, used to his sensei's obsessive behavior.

"Lee mentioned one of the nurses when I visited him yesterday," sighed Tenten.

"Hmmf, let's see how long this one lasts," pondered Neji, thinking of the previous victims. "The girl at the checkout counter of the grocery store left town immediately. The librarian filed a restraining order with a week. I heard she ended up getting plastic surgery and a new identity."

"Well, it's impressive how he rebounds each time. But now he's saying something about destiny."

"I thought that was my line." Neji made a very small attempt at a self-deprecating joke.

"He's going to have to make his own destiny. I can't see a woman falling for him that easily," said Tenten, shaking her head. "It's too bad really. I mean, sure he's not cool or that good looking, but he's a good person, honest and loyal and passionate."

"So does that mean you'd be interested in him if you were older," Neji asked cynically, knowing her response.

"No way! Not with that hair, those brows, that green jumpsuit…"

"So you're just as shallow as the rest of them," Neji accused.

"Well…I'm allowed to be. I'm just a teenager. But older women should be more mature and appreciative of a man's good points," his teammate said in her own defense.

"What about Lee?" asked Neji coolly, but inside he was very curious about her answer. He had a fondness for Tenten he would not admit to even under torture.

"Lee? Well...uh..." Tenten hesitated. Her feelings tended to shift back and forth between her two teammates. "If he's not an exact clone, he'd be salvagable," she said evasively. "Anyway, I hope it's not another fiasco."

"Hmmf. Two to one she runs off screaming," Neji evaluated

"This one will last longer. She's a nurse – she's use to dealing with difficult patients."

"She's not a psychiatric nurse. I give her at most a week before she breaks."

"Hmm…I'll take that bet. A thousand ryou?"

Neji nodded, secretly confident that it would just take a couple of days.

-…-…-

_Next up: Gai and the Kuchiki Family_

_Author's Notes: I'm pleased this fic is doing relatively well. Thanks again for the reviews :) But this fic is quite easy to write and not as important to me as the other one I'm working on. Please check out "Kakashi's Stolen Sharingan" which is listed as romance/drama but also has a bit of humor. I work 10x harder on that one but it gets one tenth as many hits/reviews --sobs copiously--_


	9. Gai and Kaori's Family

_**Gai and the Kuchiki Family**_

Meanwhile Gai was trying hard to gather information on the rest of Kaori's family. He could no longer access the hospital records. He tried the Academy records but it seemed neither of her siblings had ever enrolled. But he then he had the bright idea of visiting Kaori's father's company, but with no clear plan in mind.

The man in a green jumpsuit and orange leg warmers stood out like an oozing sore thumb amongst the business suited accountants with their calculators and pencils in their left breast pockets, especially when the office was supposed to be closed for the day. He was immediately questioned by the non-shinobi security guard/desk clerk. Gai had an attack of smarts and said he was looking for Kuchiki's son, thinking that he wouldn't ask for Kaori's father but her brother instead and that he would be able to get some indirect information that way. However, the desk clerk called down Kaori's brother-in-law, Kazuhiko, who was putting in some much needed overtime thanks to his three kids.

A prematurely balding man, who looked older than Gai despite being about the same age, appeared. His eyes widened in surprise at the odd man in green. "You? You're the one with the half ton weights!" he exclaimed.

Gai looked at him quizzically. He was never good with names or faces (or numbers or letters). "I'm Maito Gai, Jounin Taijutsu Master, also known as Konoha's noble green beast. Might you be acquainted with the beauteous Kaori?"

"Er, yes, she's my sister-in-law."

"I see…perfect! I dearly hope you can help me with the pursuit of my destined beloved."

"Who? Kaori?" The poor accountant started to get a very bad feeling.

"Yes of course! If you could help me, my good man, I will be eternally grateful and at your service. What I need is just a bit of information. Now I'll be attending your little family gathering tonight…"

"You will?" Gai did not seem like the type of man that would interest Kaori. In fact he looked like the type she would go to great lengths to exorcise.

"Yes of course, now I would just like to know a bit about her family. Like you for instance…"

"Me? I'm not involved in…this am I?"

"Yes of course you are. Kaori's family will be my family. Now tell me about yourself."

Gai towered over the little accountant who swallowed nervously. "Er…I'm married to Kaori's sister Sumire. We have three kids."

"How absolutely wonderful! All those little tykes running around, keeps you young doesn't it? Ah the springtime of youth…"

"Well, I actually had all my hair before the kids…"

"So tell me about them. How old are they? What do they like?"

"Umm, I have a five year old girl and two boys - three years, and four months… Why do you need to know about them?" He looked at Gai suspiciously. Was this man really interested in women?

"To win the heart of the fair Kaori I must win over her family," Gai explained.

Kazuhiko nodded but a warning bell continued to ring in the accountant's head. It made sense, but knowing Kaori it was a long shot, equivalent to kicking a 60 yard field goal or making a basket from the other side of the court. No, it was more like getting all the credits and debits to reconcile during tax time. The woman was very particular and for some reason she never seemed to notice when Kazuhiko was in the room. He recalled the last time Kaori was unhappy with a date her parents arranged. She dumped her dinner in the guy's lap. So now Kazuhiko wisely decided not to go to dinner tonight.

"Umm, well, the two older ones and I probably won't be able to make it, but my wife will be there with the baby. My wife likes it when people play with the baby and take him off her hands for a while. The baby…well, he's like all babies. He's been fussing lately. Maybe he's teething…"

Gai nodded and scribbled madly in his little notepad. "And Kaori's brother?"

"Akira has a two year old girl. His wife Sadako doesn't get along with Kaori, and vice versa. I think it's because they're sort of alike. But I have to admit Kaori is better. She may ignore me, but at least she doesn't insult me," the poor little accountant sighed. It felt good to get the dirty family laundry off his chest.

"Hmm…so should I be antagonistic to the sister-in-law?"

"Oh no, please don't add any more kindling to the fire. Just stick to safe non- controversial subjects and change the subject if it looks like it's going to get bad." But Kazuhiko thought to himself, '_Good luck, with those two even the weather's not a safe subject.' _

"Does she get along with her brother?"

"She used to. Akira was an easygoing laidback kid. Kaori kind of bullied him when they were growing up. But ever since he's been with Sadako, he's been tougher and I think that annoys her." Kazuhiko was now thoroughly enjoying dissing his in-laws. He tried hard not to smile.

"What do the two of them do for a living?"

"Akira works at the gambling house in Otafuka. He's in charge of the dice tables. He met his wife there. She was a…hostess. Now she just takes care of their daughter. That one's worse than all my kids combined. She loves to destroy her toys." He added the last part in satisfaction. Those two deserved to have a brat like that.

"Hmm…" Gai muttered as he scribbled away.

"I hope this helps. It's very smart of you to prepare yourself like this. Saves a lot of time in the long run…"

"Yes! Efficiency is my middle name," Gai said with his sparkling smile.

'_M.E.G? No, G.E.M., yes I see, he is so sparkly_.' Kazuhiko was visibly impressed with this man who was so full of confidence, so strong, so smart… He even had an impressive head of hair, unlike his own. He wished he could be just like Gai. Maybe this man really did have a chance with Kaori…if it only weren't for that green jumpsuit…

-…-…-…-

Gai then made his way to the Kuchiki house and setup his surveillance equipment. He patiently waited as one sibling after another appeared. He casually listened in on their boring civilian conversations, then brightened when he saw Kaori approach. He listened carefully to the exchanges between Kaori and the other women.

As Kaori set the dinner table, Neji and Tenten arrived with the turkey. Gai immediately ordered Neji to find an indestructible toy and Tenten to find something for a teething baby that wouldn't affect its teeth.

Neji and Tenten protested that it was already late and most of the stores were closed, but Gai would have none of it. "It's a serious mission. You have ten minutes or I'll see you both tomorrow for special training. Your green jumpsuits will be ready…"

As soon as Gai mentioned the green jumpsuits, Neji and Tenten sped away at top chakra speed.

Neji headed straight for the Hyuuga complex and toward the Head family's mansion. There he found Hanabi in the courtyard, just finished with her kunai throwing practice. Neji quickly knocked Hanabi over and grabbed her teddy bear, which she sometimes used for target practice. "Sorry kid, I need this more than you do!" he said as he rushed back to his love crazed sensei, leaving his poor cousin in tears.

Meanwhile Tenten resorted to breaking and entering of an infant supply store. But she did guiltily leave 250 ryou for the item she stole and another 2000 ryou for the lock she broke. Neji made no such apology. In fact, he rather enjoyed his mission.

-…-…-…-

'_This is not happening. I must have fallen asleep during dinner. I must have been poisoned by tainted sashimi.' _Kaori just stood in front of the door in a daze. Her mother roughly pushed her aside to greet their honored guest. Her father bowed, and patted Gai on the back like an old friend as he entered.

The rest of the family gathered around staring with interest at the man carrying the giant fowl. What they saw was a tall, well-built man, of good humor with very straight white shiny teeth. He was not particularly good looking but had nice masculine rugged features. He seemed friendly and personable. Quite a good catch they all appraised – until he put the turkey down on the dining table. Then they saw his hideous green jumpsuit in all its infamous glory.

"For today's feast, I bring to you the daimyo of all poultry!" Gai declared as he set down the turkey.

Everyone stared in awe at the large bird (and the green jumpsuit with clashing orange leg warmers). But Kaori knew that not only was it big, it was unnaturally so, so she asked in trepidation, "Umm…where did you get such a…fine specimen?"

"The Nara farm breeds the most exceptional animals," Gai replied a bit evasively. "Let's dig in! It's best when it's hot."

As Kaori's father introduced the other members of the family, her mother served the food, Gai cut up the turkey, and Kaori stayed silent and thought. _'What the hell is he doing here? He's stalking me! This morning he said he'd see me later so he must have planned this…but how? Wait a second…that Lee. I told him about seeing my family. I should never have saved him from that orange! Damn, what do I do now?'_

Kaori looked over at her smiling family who had all taken their seats, leaving one seat for Kaori. Gai sat at one end of the table while her father sat at the other end. Her brother and mother sat on either side of her father. Sumire was next to their mother and crazy sister-law sat on Gai's left with the little tyrant between her and her husband. The empty seat was on Gai's right and next to Kaori's sister.

They seemed to be quite taken with the odd man in green. Gai now had Sumire's baby in his lap. The baby seemed to be fascinated, or maybe petrified, by Gai's eyebrows and stared at them, wide-eyed and unblinking. His chubby little arms reached up in an attempt to pull them off.

"Oh, before I forget…" Gai took out a little package from his inner vest pocket. "This is for the baby…and this…" He reached into his hip pouch, "…is for the little princess."

The two mothers smiled and thanked him for his gracious gifts. It was exactly what they wanted! The baby received an orthodontic pacifier, specially shaped as to not affect incoming teeth, while the little beast received a teddy bear, but one made of indestructible Kevlar, just like the shinobi vests.

With a sigh, Kaori took her seat next to Gai, who despite having a 20 pound bundle in one arm, immediately placed several large slabs of turkey on her plate. Kaori eyed them suspiciously. She knew the Nara farm also had a laboratory with experimental animals. "Umm…thank you but I don't like turkey," she protested. "It's too dry."

"It's just like chicken and everyone likes chicken. Just add some of this," Gai insisted as he ladled some gravy over her turkey.

"That's right dear," her mother added with an edge in her voice. "You like chicken so you'll like this too," she insisted. She knew immediately that Kaori was in her difficult mode.

Kaori's stomach clenched in objection. There was no way she would eat it. But she just nodded and piled some rice on top of it.

"So tell me about that… uniform you're wearing. That's not the usual Konoha shinobi uniform is it?" Kaori's horrible sister-in-law asked with amusement.

"Ah, yes, I'm glad you noticed. This here is an aerodynamic, breathable, elastic, custom made jumpsuit, personally designed by yours truly. It increases my speed and flexibility by 10 percent over the usual shinobi uniform and it's better for camouflage," Gai explained proudly. He continued to give details on the material, density, and weave, in addition to statistics on its performance as tested by himself and his disciple Lee. Then he went into storytelling mode with some of his most exciting missions.

Kaori wasn't listening. She was studying her family's reaction. The group of pathetic civilians seemed to be taken in by the excitement of shinobi life as they listened attentively to everything Gai had to say. _'Don't you all realize this guy is weird! He's stalking me! I didn't invite him to dinner!' _she wanted to shout, but she stayed silent. After all, what if Gai were really crazy? What if her rebuff sent him over the edge? Nothing more dangerous than an insane shinobi.

She picked at her food, without eating anything, as she thought hard about how she could discourage her suitor and escape from this nightmare. _'I could pretend I just remembered I needed to do something at the hospital. But chances are he would insist on escorting me. I could pretend I'm sick. But then he'd probably make me some disgusting health drink. If I go home he'll insist on taking me. I can't escape, can I? Best I could do is make it short…'_

Kaori's thoughts were disturbed as the baby and toddler both started to cry, apparently both vying for Gai's attention. Gai bounced the baby on his knee, while cutting a small piece of turkey. He then reached over, and zoomed it into the older child's mouth. Kaori's family all clapped at his expertise, but then something strange happened.

Someone hiccupped. But it wasn't quite a hiccup. It was more like a gurgle from the throat, or rather a gobble. Soon everyone except Kaori and the baby started to hiccup-gobble. Kaori was horrified but both kids started to laugh, especially the older one who found her own hiccup-gobbling to be quite entertaining.

'_What the hell!'_ Kaori thought. '_It must be that mutant turkey. Who knows what kind of experiments they were doing on it at that place. But it seems relatively harmless. No one's sprouted feathers. Maybe once it's digested it'll go away.' _"Don't eat any more of that turkey!" Kaori warned, though it was rather late for that.

But her family seemed to be enjoying it - they were all laughing and pointing at each other. "Lighten-gob-ble-up Kaori," her mother said between hiccups. "This is kind of gob-ble-fun."

The toddler shrieked in laughter and yelled "Gob-ble fun gramma!"

Gai looked at Kaori sheepishly and tried to explain, "Er…my…gob-ble…genin Neji swore adding chakra to help…gob-ble…cook the turkey wouldn't have side effects. But hey, the turkey was…gob-ble…good wasn't it?"

Kaori shook her head. Another misuse of chakra disaster. _'Don't these shinobi know that chakra can't be used to solve every problem?'_ All those kitchen fires from shinobi trying to light their old stoves with fireballs resulted in several accidents every year. Homes were damaged by shinobi using water jutsu to clean their floors, not realizing the floor had no drain to accommodate all that water. And now trying to cook a turkey with chakra.

"Well, hopefully this is just temporary. If the hiccupping doesn't stop by tomorrow morning, you should all go to the shinobi hospital," Kaori advised in her serious official voice.

Most of her family shrugged, but they all agreed not to eat any more turkey.

The rest of the dinner proceeded smoothly with Kaori saying little and Gai entertaining her family despite punctuating his action descriptions with gobbling. Kaori couldn't understand why her family took to Gai. They didn't seem to care that they all looked and sounded like idiots thanks to that fool's attempt to cook an experimental animal with chakra. They didn't seem to mind his odd looks and odder dress. What was wrong with all of them?

After another fifteen minutes of the dinner party from hell, Kaori tried to excuse herself, but her mother would have none of it. "At least help me with the dessert in the kitchen," she said while giving her daughter a stern look.

Kaori sighed and followed her mother, expecting another lecture. She was not to be disappointed.

"What's the matter with you Kaori? There's this great guy in there and you look like you'd rather be swallowed up by an earth jutsu."

"That sounds about right," Kaori responded coldly. "Did you know he was coming? I sure didn't!"

"Keep your voice down!" her mother ordered, not heeding her own advice. "Don't ruin your chance at another one."

"Another what? Another loser?"

"Why must you be so judgmental? All those other men were perfectly fine, but all you can see are their flaws. I mean the last guy we…"

"You mean the married one!"

"So what? His other family is far, far away. And it's better to have a part-time husband. You get to have more freedom and independence that way. Remember, absence makes the heart grow fonder..."

Kaori just glared at her mother.

"No one's perfect and you're not getting any younger, unless you learned some special jutsu you haven't told us about. Once a women hits the big 3-0, she's more likely to be swallowed by a summoned demon than get married."

"You're seriously telling me to go for a guy who looks and dresses like that?"

"You know looks shouldn't be that important. It's the insides that count and he seems like a perfectly nice guy. And look how straight and white his teeth are. That should count for something. Sumire and I could always give him a makeover." Kaori's mother actually ran a beauty shop with her sister sometimes helping out.

Kaori decided to end the conversation by saying, "There's someone else I like. I hope you'll get to meet him soon."

That got her mother's attention and now she was willing to abandon Gai in the light of another suitor. "Really? Really? You're not just saying that to shut me up? Who is it?"

"You'll see," Kaori said evasively. "Our relationship is in the early stages so I don't want to jinx it by saying anything. But I promise you'll get to meet him soon and I'm sure you'll like him." Kaori was of course thinking of Kakashi who still lay in a coma, but her mother was now satisfied.

"If you like him, I'm sure we will. Why didn't you tell us earlier… poor Gai sensei, I'm sure he'll be heartbroken. You'll have to tell him."

"Er… yes of course." But Kaori knew it was easier said than done.

-…-…-…-

_Author's Notes: Sadako is the ghost girl in the "Ring"_

_Next up: Green (just a couple of chapters before Kakashi wakes)_

-…-…-…-


	10. Green

_**Green**_

Green, everything was green, a monotonal lime green that extended as far as her eye could see. The green miasma surrounded her and gradually closed in on her. When it touched her skin it felt cool and sticky, just like the cafeteria's Jell-o. She pushed against it but her arms disappeared into its semi-solid mass. Soon her whole body was enveloped in the green blob and all that was exposed was just her head. She tried to scream for help but it oozed into her orifices and she could no longer breathe…

Kaori woke from her dream, of being enveloped and suffocated by green Jell-o, screaming into her pillow. The man was everywhere - even in her dreams she could not escape him.

It was still dark. She tried futilely to go back to sleep, but her thoughts still dwelled on last night's events.

When Kaori finally left her parents' place to return home, Gai of course insisted on escorting her. She did her best to bring up the topic of how she wasn't interested in him, but Gai purposely avoided actually talking about their non-existent relationship. Instead he rambled on about the history of the medic-nins, how they served a vital function, and how wonderful everything would be when Tsunade returned. Kaori was terrified that he would expect a good-night kiss, but luckily Gai just dropped her off, saying he'd see her tomorrow. Before Kaori could protest, he was gone again.

Dawn came with a banging at her door. Kaori was just about to fall asleep again, but she gave up and got up instead. _'Who could it be at this hour?' _she thought in irritation. _'I hope it's not an emergency at the hospital. Oh no, I hope something didn't happen to Kakashi!'_

She quickly grabbed her robe and wrapped it tightly around her body. But who should she find standing in her doorway but the man responsible for her nightmares, with a gift wrapped box in his arms.

"Good morning! I have a special surprise present for you," he announced, oblivious of her bleary eyes and unkempt hair.

"Thanks, but isn't this kind of early for…visits and I can't possibly accept any more gifts from you. It's not appropriate…" Kaori protested, trying hard to keep her temper.

"The early bird gets the worm, you know, and this will help you defeat all other birds!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Open it, you'll see," he shiny-smiled at her.

What woman could resist opening a gift box? Kaori just had to open it despite her misgivings and the alarm going off in her head.

She dropped the box as soon as she saw what was in it. What was in it was green. The same green as Gai's jumpsuit.

Nonplussed, Gai picked up the box and took out a miniature green jumpsuit for a petite size 2-4.

'_No way! No way! No way!'_ Kaori screamed in her head. But all she could do was stare at it, dumbfounded.

"I noticed yesterday that you don't eat enough. I've decided to help you get healthier and fitter. First you need to get up early and do morning exercises…"

"I already do!" protested Kaori futilely.

"Not my regiment. You see, the reason why you failed to become a shinobi is because of the poor training you received at the hands of some mediocre Academy teacher. I can improve your stamina in 30 days. Look what I did for Lee…"

"But I…"

"Wearing this jumpsuit is the first step. Then my exercise regiment, followed by a large nutritionally balanced breakfast, the most important meal of the day…"

"No…I like being just a nurse. I don't want to be a shinobi…"

"But think of what you can do as a shinobi medic!"

That made Kaori stop and think. If she could be like Tsunade, she'd be able to heal Kakashi by herself. So with that thought she tentatively accepted the hideous green fashion-faux-pas.

-…-…-…-…-

"Ugh! No more, no more, I can't take any more!" Kaori screamed after just twenty minutes of working out with Gai. She lay on the damp forest ground, dirty and panting. Every muscle, ligament, and tendon ached with the build up of lactic acid. Gai had made her run three miles, plus two with chakra, and do a hundred sit-ups and a hundred pushups. She collapsed at push-up 55.

'_Kakashi can just stay in that coma till Tsunade gets back! I'm fine with the man in my life being in a coma. After all, the only time a man is perfect is when he's sleeping. That way he can't do or say something stupid,' _Kaori muttered to herself.

Gai looked at her in profound disappointment. She was weaker than he expected (and for some reason she did not look as cute in the green jumpsuit as his dear Lee). While she was a bit taller and heavier than Tenten, she did not have even one tenth her stamina or determination. Pathetic. But not to worry, as Gai had further plans for improvement.

"Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and you're not close to being dead yet," Gai insisted seriously.

Kaori glared at him. '_The only thing that motivates me right now is killing him!'_ she thought angrily. But she took a more reasonable approach. "I think I needed to stretch more. I just pulled a muscle. _(Actually all of them!) _And I have to get to work soon…"

"But according to your schedule, you don't start work for another two hours…"

"Well, I have to shower and change, and fix my hair and apply makeup, and have breakfast and check the news for the weather report and…" Kaori desperately tried to think of more excuses.

But it was enough to convince Gai to stop training for the morning. "All right. We can stop now and continue after work."

"After work?"

"Oh, and you may bring your dog."

"My dog?"

"I know you planned to have dinner with your dog today, but the training may go past your usual dinner time. And having a partner might make training more enjoyable. You know of the Inuzuka clan, don't you? It'll be good exercise for your dog as well. By the way, what kind of dog do you have?"

"Uh, well, actually," Kaori desperately thought of another lie to cover her original lie. '_Who knew this fool would actually remember something like that?_' "My pet beagle is …uh…visiting his sick mother and won't be back for a while." _'There's no way someone would believe something like that. He must know I've been lying to him. Then maybe he'll give up on me. I hope!'_

But Gai was moved to tears. "Ah, visiting his sick mother – filial piety exists even among animals_. - sniff_ - How inspirational! Sets an example for us humans, don't you think?"

"Er…yes," Kaori sighed. There just seemed to be no easy indirect way to get rid of the odd man in green.

-…-…-…-

That morning, Otoha arrived early to cover for her predecessor, though she was fifteen minutes late. She noticed that her coworker was not her usual immaculate self. Kaori looked more like Otoha after a sleepless night of drinking and dancing. There were dark circles under her eyes and her hair was not in a perfect bun. So Otoha just had to ask, "Are you okay? You look like hell. Too much fun on your day off?"

"Not even close," Kaori sighed, too tired for verbal sparring.

Otoha's curiosity was piqued. "Anything I can help you with?" she asked sympathetically. Not that she particularly cared about Kaori, she just had to know what was going on.

Kaori had to talk to someone, even if it was her rival, so she replied, "How do you get rid of a guy you're not interested in without hurting his feelings? And I mean a really dense guy who just doesn't get it."

"Easy. Just tell him thanks for the attention but you're not interested because you're dating someone else."

"But I'm not."

"So what? Make it up."

"What if he decides to confront the nonexistent guy? He's very, very persistent." Kaori sighed again.

"You mean Gai sensei, don't you?" Otoha had heard rumors about how Gai pursued women with great persistence and intensity. "What has he done?" she asked, hoping to get some juicy tidbits.

"The other day he showed up at my apartment, uninvited, and filled up my entire refrigerator with groceries!"

"That doesn't sound like a bad thing," Otoha noted jealously.

"And yesterday he showed up at my parent's house for our family dinner, uninvited again!"

"Did he bring something?"

"I think he sent my mom a large floral arrangement and he brought a turkey…"

"That was nice of him."

"But the turkey was mutated and everyone ate it, but me, and ended up gobbling like idiots!"

"Well, at least he brought something. Most guys won't bring anything but their stomachs," Otoha reflected.

"And this morning he woke me up at dawn and insisted I work out with him, in a green jumpsuit!"

"Well…green goes nicely with the color of your hair," Otoha offered.

"It's just too much! I give him all these hints that I'm not interested and when I try to bring up the subject directly, he somehow avoids it."

"Ah, I see…he's smarter than he looks. He's using the old avoidance trick so you can't dump him. He's hoping you'll start to like him after a while."

"Not a chance in hell!"

Otoha shrugged. "At least he's attentive. Like I said, they're all pretty much the same in bed with the lights out." Her sympathy disappeared and she started to giggle uncontrollably.

Kaori turned dark red. She stood up and left the giggling git to do her morning rounds. As usual she left Lee for last in the pediatrics wing.

Lee's appetite was no longer a problem, Kaori deduced from the empty tray. Lee beamed at her happily as he paused his stretching exercises (even he knew strenuous exercise after eating was not a good idea). "Good morning nurse Kaori-san! I hope you had a pleasant day off."

Kaori glared at him. She wanted to pick him up and shake him but she knew even with his injuries she was no match for him. "I'm afraid your sensei has the wrong idea. I'm not romantically inclined at the moment," she managed to say diplomatically.

Lee looked at her quizzically. Kaori tried again as she went through the usual medical checkup routine. "Your sensei is a nice guy but…"

"Yes! Gai sensei is the nicest and the greatest man in existence!"

"Well…it's just that I'm not interested in having a relationship right now…"

"Then later? Next week? Next month?"

'_Never!' _"Umm…I don't know. I…"

"Gai sensei will wait however long it takes for his destined one."

"Destined?"

"Since you saved my life, it is obvious the two of you were meant to come together because of me."

"I save lots of lives…"

"Oh…" Lee frowned as he considered the ramifications. "But you two are perfect together."

"I'm sorry, but he's not my type," Kaori said bluntly.

"How could you not like Gai sensei? He's the greatest man to walk this earth!"

"Please have a talk with your sensei. Get him to realize that there's someone out there for him, but it's just not me."

"Gai sensei will be heart broken," Lee was the heart broken one right now as tears started to form in his oddly circular eyes.

"Well it's better to let him know sooner rather than later."

Lee nodded mutely. Kaori tried hard not to smile. She tried to look sympathetic, but she felt much, much better. It was as if a ton of training weights had been lifted from her shoulders. '_Using Lee to dump Gai was a great idea!' _she thought proudly. _'Much better than Otoha's silly ideas.' _

Kaori continued her rounds and finished up with Kakashi. "Good morning Kakashi-san," she smiled. "I've had a crazy 24 hours. Your rival Gai sensei is stalking me and my family approves! I'm not that desperate for a man. I mean, sure he's nice, but he's crazy! He practically killed me this morning with his so called low key warm up exercise routine! Ugh! But I think I finally took care of it."

Kaori went through her regular routine of checking the monitors then settled down on the chair next to Kakashi's bed with a book. "Let's read something else you're familiar with. I have a copy of the teachings of the First Hokage." Kaori flipped to the first page and started reading. Her voice drifted into a lecturing monotone. She was practically putting herself to sleep but she stubbornly read on. After all, it was either this or the Icha Icha books and the last time was just too embarrassing.

"'Shinobi rule number 25 - A shinobi must keep emotions on the inside, no matter what the situation you must make the mission top priority, and you must possess a heart that never shows tears.' That's really sad, isn't it? I remember first reading that in the Academy and I wondered if it's really possible to control your emotions like that." She looked over at her perfect man. "Can you? Have you ever told a woman that you loved her?" _'Or guy, I suppose that's possible…but…no way!_' "I know it refers to missions, not your personal life, but there's a fine line, isn't there? How can you act one way on a mission and another way the rest of the time? Sigh, I suppose I'm not really cut out to be a shinobi. But then again I've never told a man…"

Kaori read a while longer then stopped to check the brainwave monitor. Flat, no peaks at all. If anything, it looked like the baseline dropped! "I guess this was too boring. You really want me to go back to Icha Icha Para…" Kaori barely finished her sentence when a blip appeared. She sighed. "All right, I'll try again later."

-…-…-…

_Next up: Kaori's Desperation (probably last chapter before Kakashi wakes)_

-…-…-…-


	11. Kaori's Desperation

_Author's Note: Last chapter before Kakashi wakes. Reviews and suggestions are always appreciated :)_

_**Kaori's Desperation**_

"Never give up! That's our motto isn't it, Lee?" Gai replied when Lee told him the heart breaking news during lunch. They were sitting together in the cafeteria with an abundance of food on the table.

"Yes, but what will you do now?" asked Gai's number one fan.

"I will continue to pursue her until there is 100 percent certainty there is no hope. Even if there were one chance in one hundred billion trillion, I will persist. That's what it means to be a man, Lee, to fight to the end with your last dying breath! Whether in battle or love it doesn't matter."

"Yes! Never give up!" Lee rooted, throwing his hands up in the air.

"You see, she's just not sure of her feelings right now. I have a tendency to overwhelm women with my brilliance. It just takes time for their eyes to adjust. So don't worry, it will all work out in the end," Gai said with his usual misplaced confidence. "In fact, I'm going over to visit her right after lunch with another gift…"

-…-…-…-

'_I wonder if Lee had a talk with his sensei yet,'_ Kaori thought as she washed her hands after lunch. '_I wonder how he took it. I do feel sorry for him. I wonder how many other woman rejected his advances. But really, I can't be seen with someone like that. I'd be the laughingstock of Konoha. I hope he finds someone else who'll appreciate him. Maybe someone who's partially blind…' _

Kaori felt guilty about not dealing with Gai directly, and for not returning his affection after he had so generously filled up her refrigerator, but she had no regrets. The odd man in green would be out of her life and she no longer had to worry about him suddenly showing up…

Gai was waiting by her desk with another gift box. "Good afternoon, my dear! I couldn't wait till tonight to give you this," he said with a bow, presenting it with a flourish.

"Er… no thank you. I absolutely can not accept any more gifts from you. Did you get a chance to talk to Lee today?"

"Yes, but this gift is not what you think. It's for your training. No matter what happens between us, you must continue your training to be the best you can be."

"No, no more training. I can't accept…" Kaori protested.

"Ta-da!" Gai ripped open the gift box himself to show his love how serious he was about her training. Inside was a set of weights. The collective metal bars weighed 200 pounds (the minimum beginner's set). It was a good thing Kaori did not accept the box – the sudden weight would likely have broken her puny arms.

Kaori fell speechless. The mere thought of more training, with additional weight, terrified her so much she was paralyzed with fright.

"I'll take these with me now, but I'll see you after work for some training before dinner. I'll have a special nutritionally fortified energy drink ready for you. It contains raw eggs, protein powder and…" Gai continued to horrify her.

-…-…-…-

Kaori was on pins and needles the rest of the afternoon. She had to hide from Gai. Hide somewhere he couldn't find her. She could not return home. She looked over at Otoha and sighed, wondering if it were at all possible to hide out at her place.

"More love life problems?" Otoha asked, noticing her coworker's strange mood.

"He came by again after lunch. I thought after I spoke with Lee and Lee had spoken with him, I'd be free, but…"

"Guys like that don't give up. What you should do is date him, take him for everything he has, and then be a total bitch so he'll dump you," the buxom brunette advised while looking into her hand mirror and applying more lipstick.

"Do you think that will really work?" asked Kaori. She seriously considered it.

"Well, there's always the chance that he likes being treated like crap. Some guys are into that. They like bitchy aggressive women who hit them on the head and run their lives." Otoha shrugged. "It's worth a try. Couldn't be worse, right?"

Kaori shook her head. "I can't do that. Not only is it against my ethics, that means I actually have to date him for a while. I need another way…"

"Hmmf, good luck, guy like that won't take no for an answer," said Otoha, annoyed that Kaori would not take her sage, experienced, advice.

Kaori went back to brooding until her afternoon rounds. She was going to have another talk with Lee when she saw his teammates walking by.

"You two, you're Gai sensei's students… you have to help me! I'll give you all my savings (_minus retirement benefits_)! Save me!"

"What's the matter?" asked Tenten in concern. "Save you from whom?"

"From your sensei! He's stalking me! I can't get rid of him."

"Sorry, but once Gai sensei gets an idea in his head, it's stuck there forever and ever," Neji said, a bit maliciously.

"But he's stalking me! He shows up at my apartment, at my parents' home, and he's at the hospital all the time! I can't take it any more!"

"Well, we go on overnight missions occasionally, that should give you a break," Tenten offered sympathetically, hoping Kaori would last another week.

"Mission… yes… a mission…" Kaori muttered to herself. The genin watched as Kaori quickly made her way out of the hospital.

"I was right, as usual. Two days, just what I expected," Neji said in satisfaction.

"Fine you win. That was a 1000 ryou wasn't it?" his teammate replied in disappointment.

"Just enough for a bowl of House Special ramen and a drink at Ichiraku. Let's go after we visit Lee," ordered Neji.

"Is that a date?" Tenten teased, but secretly hoping it was.

"Date? Hmmf. It's me teaching you a lesson - never bet with a member of the Hyuuga clan. These eyes see more than chakra pathways. We can read into the hearts and minds of people and predict their actions."

Tenten rolled her eyes. Neji was actually very dense when it came to understanding someone's heart.

-…-…-…-

Meanwhile Kaori went AWOL in order to seek out the two elders. There was no Hokage to appeal to, but she hoped his remaining advisors would be available to hear her case.

"Koharu-sama, Homura-sama, you have to help me!" she gasped out when she arrived at the Hokage's adminstration building. The elders were busy prioritizing the incoming mission requests.

"Calm down, miss… you are…?" asked old man Homura.

"I'm Kuchiki Kaori, nurse at the shinobi hospital. I'm being stalked by Gai sensei!"

The two looked at each other and then back at Kaori. They shook their heads in unison. "Not again," they sighed.

"I need a restraining order or something to keep him away from me…" Kaori begged.

"We're sorry, but that's not going to help. Konoha is too small for a restraining order to be effective. And since you work at the hospital and Gai-sensei visits his disciple Lee all the time, it'll be impossible to enforce," explained old lady Koharu.

"Well, you have to do something! It's your job to protect the populace from menace, right? Send him away on a mission, a very long, very far away mission. Please! My sanity depends on it!"

The two elders nodded and looked at what was available. "Well, Gai sensei had requested missions close to Konoha since he wants to be with Lee in case something happened but…" Homura began to say.

"Please! I just need a few weeks to come up with a plan.You see these gray hairs? New, just turned overnight!" Kaori persisted.

The two elders thought back to Gai's previous victims who were now safely relocated away from Konoha under new identities.

"How about this mission?" Homura held a scroll open for his comrade to read. "It should take at least a month and it's perfect for Gai and his team."

Koharu took the scroll in her wrinkled hands and read it over slowly. She nodded and said, "They're shooting a martial arts action movie in Tea Country and need some shinobi stuntmen to do double duty as bodyguards for the actors. Tenten is about the same size as the youngest lead actress. Neji with his long hair can double as the older girl or second male lead. And Gai is about the same height as the male lead. They don't even need to use henge. Perfect!"

"We'll talk to him tomorrow." Homura's wrinkles deepened as he smiled at the pretty nurse. After all, he was old, but not dead yet.

"Tomorrow? Can't you send him tonight?" Kaori asked desperately.

"We're sorry, but you'll have to hold out till then," Koharu replied a bit unsympathetically when she saw her comrade's overly affectionate smile.

Kaori sighed. How was she going to survive the night?

-...-...-...-

When Gai came by to pick up Kaori, she was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Otoha handed him a note.

Gai read out loud, "Sorry, but I won't be able to train tonight. My dog's mother suddenly died so I will be attending a private memorial service tonight."

Otoha curiously observed Gai's reaction. Would he really believe such a transparent excuse?

Gai teared up while saying, "How tragic...what devotion to a lesser creature. She is definitely worthy of my devotion!"

Otoha rolled her eyes. Gai's assumption that Kaori was a saint annoyed her so she just had to say, "Have you ever seen Kaori's dog?"

"No, but she said it's a beagle."

"You know, _no one _has ever seen Kaori's dog."

"Really? I guess he likes his privacy. Some people are like that too," Gai deadpanned.

Otoha rolled her eyes again. The man was just too dense. Still, there was something to be said for that...

-...-...-...-

Meanwhile Kaori was hiding out in Kakashi's room. She decided to spend the night there, away from her tormentor. Luckily she had an emergency change of clothes and a few toiletries in her locker. What she didn't have was a bed, but she took some extra blankets from the supply closet and tried to make herself comfortable on the floor next to Kakashi's bed.

"You don't mind me spending the night with you, do you Kakashi-san?" She smiled at the double entendre. "I'm afraid I have nowhere else to go. Your rival might try to hunt me down at my parents' or sister's and they're more likely to turn me in than help me out." Sad to say, but Kaori knew Kakashi rarely had visitors. Aside from herself, Sakura had visited her sensei a couple of times but that was it. Who had time to visit a comatose patient when the village was still in chaos? Gai was only concerned with Lee and paid his rival little heed now that he was no competition. So it seemed the best place to hide out for a night.

"Don't worry, it's just for tonight. By this time tomorrow, Gai sensei will be miles and miles away on a mission. A nice long mission. Sigh, but what will I do when he comes back? Well, Tsunade-sama should be here by then and you'll be cured. You'll protect me from him, right? I'm sorry I wasn't able to go through Gai's training. I had this silly idea that I could cure you rather than Tsunade-sama but I just couldn't do it. I guess I just don't have the will power. My mother says that's one of my problems, that I give up on things too easily. Of course she was mostly talking about the men in my life. Sigh, but maybe we can have dinner together once you're well. I bet you'll be really hungry when you wake. So what kind of food do you like? My favorite is eel avocado sushi, but it's a bit expensive so I can only have it once a week. I also like tempura green tea ice cream. The dumpling shop has it. Dumplings are good too. I love gyoza and red bean dango..."

All the talk about food made Kaori very, very hungry. Since she was hiding out, she could not go out for food, not even the cafeteria. All she had was some breath mints in her handbag. She thought of all the food in her refrigerator and nearly cried at the irony - that the man responsible for stocking her refrigerator was the same one who prevented her access.

"Well, no more talk about food. Right, I promised to read more Icha Icha Paradise. Let's see where we left off..."

She read deep into the night, trying to distract herself from her rumbling stomache. The breath mints were all gone. Mint was supposed to have an appetite suppressing effect but it seemed that was just fraudulent advice from diet gurus. Finally she stopped, yawned and rubbed her eyes. She checked the monitor and was pleased to see the elevated baseline and a few sizable series of peaks. _'Well...whatever works...'_

Although her patient lay in a coma, his prestigious standing allowed him a private room with its own lavatory. Kaori washed up in the little room equipped with a small sink and toilet. Showers were still communal and she couldn't take the chance of being seen. What would people think if they saw her spending the night with a comatose patient? If she were male and the patient were female... the implications would be even more serious.

She changed into a T-shirt and sweatpants (her emergency clothing) and stretched out on the floor next to her patient. Despite feeling drained by the strain of dealing with Gai, she could not immediately fall asleep. She whiled away the time just observing her patient. She watched as his chest rose and fell in shallow breaths. She fought the temptation to remove his mask to gaze again upon his handsome noble visage. But the proximity of his body coupled with the dimness of the room, where the stars were the only source of light, made her bold. She sat up and leaned on Kakashi's bed, her arms folded and her head resting dreamily on her arms.

In her mind, she played out scenes from Icha Icha Paradise with herself and Kakashi as the leads. Temptation called and beckoned more strongly. To satisfy the urge, she reached under his blanket just to touch his hand, but she ended up holding it for a long time.

Exhaustion finally caught up. Her half closed eyes gazed at her sleeping prince with a sad longing. _'If only...when he wakes I wish he would pursue me as persistently as his rival. I wonder if they're also rivals in love...I wonder if he'll remember me at all...'_

With that thought she reached over and brushed her lips lightly against a bit of exposed skin on his forehead. Kaori did not check the brain wave monitor before she fell asleep. If she had she would have seen an almost imperceptible blip corresponding to the moment when her lips touched Kakashi's perfect brow.

-…-…-…-

_Author's note: I'm taking a hiatus to catch up on a couple of other stories and to plan out what happens when Kakashi wakes. I think I would like the second half to be a bit more serious. I like KaorixKakashi. Please check out my other stories in the meantime ;)_

-…-…-…-


	12. Tsunade's Return

_Author's Notes: I had to play with the timeline a bit since the manga and anime timelines are a bit different. I'm adjusting it to something in between. The hiatus was so I could review the anime and manga since I'm trying to keep it according to the canon timeline as best I can. Was also sick and computer crashed…_

_-...-...-...-_

_**Tsunade's Return**_

"Tsunade-sama is coming! Tsunade-sama is coming!" The news spread through Konoha faster than a fire justu amplified by frog oil. She was sighted a few miles away from Konoha by the hawk-eyed watchtower guards. This news was of special importance not only to the elders of Konoha, who wanted to appoint her as the next Hokage, but also to the hospital staff who knew her as the legendary healer. They had critically injured patients that required her expertise and among them were the sole surviving Uchiha, and Konoha's copy nin.

Head nurse Kuchiki Kaori had just returned from lunch when she heard the news from her subordinate Otoha, who heard the news from the medical supplier, who heard the news as he was walking through the village. For some reason the news disturbed her.

It had been over two months since Kakashi was admitted to the hospital - a nice, relatively peaceful, couple of months without Gai popping up unexpectedly. Kaori had expected that it would only take a couple of weeks for Naruto to return with Konoha's foremost kunoichi, but the weeks passed without any word.

After a month, Kaori thought it was possible that Tsunade would not return at all. At first the possibility depressed her. To see her object of affection lie in bed for 24 hours a day without a hope of ever waking up, sometimes made her tear up. But as the weeks passed she became more possessive and thought of Kakashi as hers only. Seeing him and reading to him gave her something to look forward to everyday. The mundane tasks of changing bandages, checking monitors, and the tragic tasks of injecting painkillers, preparing a corpse for identification, were more bearable.

She liked things as they were. She did not mind having the man in her life in a coma. He was perfect that way.

But what would happen now that Tsunade was really here? She had thought about it over and over. In her fantasies her patient would wake and acknowledge her dedication, and, in turn, dedicate himself to her happiness. But she knew in reality that Kakashi would wake, maybe thank her, and that would be it. Chances were the next time she'd see him would be in a body bag.

It had been a problem avoiding her family's questions. Since the dinner fiasco with Gai, she had seen her family four times. Each time she was grilled on what the man in her life was like and who he was. Each time ended with her family saying a bird in the hand was worth two in the bush, how great Gai sensei was, and how she should have stuck with him.

From the movie set in Tea Country, Gai sent her and Lee messages once a week. He had agreed to the extended mission on the condition that he be allowed to use the messenger birds to relay messages to his loved ones and that he would be informed immediately when Tsunade arrived. Gai wrote about the actresses on the set and how they were eying him, but he swore to be faithful to Kaori.

She thought how they must have been eying him meaning they were wary of the madman. At first she wasn't sure whether or not to write back, but then she decided she could make it clear in a letter that she was not interested and encouraged him to date other women. Either the message never got there, or Gai ignored it. He continued to write to her.

But Tsunade did not immediately go to the hospital. She had business with the elders that took the rest of the day and part of the night, so Kaori was left waiting and worrying. She felt guilty that she was not excited about Tsunade's return and Kakashi's recovery, yet she waited impatiently, wondering what could be more important than her patients.

When she went on her afternoon rounds, she saw the pink haired genin at Uchiha Sasuke's bedside. Sakura looked up expectantly when she heard someone approach, then looked disappointed when she saw it was just Kaori and not one of the legendary sannin that she expected. Kaori smiled at her and tried her best to be enthusiastic, saying "Don't worry it won't be long. I'm sure you've heard Tsunade-sama has returned to Konoha. She's probably busy catching up at the moment but she should be here soon."

"Yes, they're finally back. When I see Naruto I'll have to let him have it for taking so long!" Sakura shook her fist bravely but inside she thanked Naruto from the bottom of her heart for his effort.

"Well, go easy on him. I'm sure there was a good reason," Kaori said, but she secretly agreed that it had taken way too long. Neither one of them knew about the detour to the hot springs, or Tsunade's temptation to bring back her loved ones, or the fight with Orochimaru, or Jiraiya's "investigations" at houses of ill repute. The legendary sannin each had questionable ethics.

"Why don't you help me change the sheets and blanket and freshen him up before Tsunade arrives," Kaori suggested. There was no real need to change the sheets since Sasuke and Kakashi were in stasis, but she did it once a week to prevent dust from collecting.

Sakura complied, happy to do something for her beloved Sasuke. "So, I bet you're just as excited as I am. Pretty soon Kakashi-sensei will be okay too. He should be really grateful for all you've done for him," Sakura said while helping move Sasuke's body as Kaori changed the sheets. Sakura made full use of the excuse to hold Sasuke in her arms.

Kaori shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm just doing my job. I'm sure I'll never see him again after he's discharged," she said steadily although the thought made her depressed again.

"You never know," Sakura encouraged, "he's sort of unpredictable. If you like him, don't give up. I think he could use someone like you."

"Thanks, and the same to you," Kaori replied in appreciation. Suddenly she felt closer to this girl than the members of her own family. After all this time the two had formed a bond of some sort and Kaori no longer thought of her as a love obsessed annoyance.

But still there was no sign of Tsunade even after they were done, so Kaori continued her rounds.

She found Lee outside in the courtyard exercising again, with apparently renewed vigor. Lee stopped when he felt her approach. "Nurse Kaori-san," he said in greeting. "I thought you might be Gai sensei. He was sent a message as soon as the guards reported seeing Tsunade-sama nearby."

"Tea Country is pretty far. I don't think he'll be able to make it back here in just a few hours…"

"Gai sensei can do anything! I'm sure he will be here even before Tsunade-sama." Actually, Lee was partially correct. When Gai received the message that Tsunade had been sighted near Konoha, he was off like a shot, leaving Neji and Tenten behind to take on his role as well as their own. The usual two day travel would take him less than half the time.

"Well, I'm really excited for you. You've worked so hard on your rehabilitation, I'm sure everything will be fine," Kaori said genuinely. She had grown quite fond of the respectful boy, despite his getting her into that mess with his sensei.

Finally she came to Kakashi's room. She had already finished the Icha Icha Paradise set was almost done with Icha Icha Violence. Occasionally she tried to read other books, a couple in the same genre, but Kakashi was apparently very faithful, and nothing else sparked a response.

"I have some great news for you," Kaori nearly choked on the words, "Tsunade-sama is back in Konoha. She should be here soon and you'll be fine in no time at all." She tried to smile, but her lips stopped halfway at the thought of losing him in a matter of hours or minutes. Instead she felt her eyes tearing.

'_Damn it! What's wrong with you Kaori? You should be celebrating and here you are acting like a spoiled child whose toy is being taken away. Get it together! Do you think Kakashi would want someone as weak-willed-pathetic as you?' _she berated herself.

She did not feel like reading. All she wanted to do was hold his hand and look at him. But first things first, as she went back to her official mode, so she untucked the sheets and blanket, rolled Kakashi over carefully, and changed the bedding.

"I'm going to miss you," she said sadly to her sleeping prince after she was done. "You were the best friend, boyfriend, I've ever had. That's kind of sad, isn't it? But you're a great listener. Most people care only about themselves and talk only about themselves. And you don't offer unsolicited advice. I'm really going to miss you." Kaori couldn't help but sniffle as the time when they were to be parted came closer and closer.

The afternoon came and went and Kaori's shift was over, but the dedicated nurse resolved to stay at the hospital until Tsunade came so that she could witness Kakashi's awakening.

"You should just go home," Otoha advised. "I promise to contact you when she gets here."

But Kaori rightfully did not trust her coworker whom she suspected would try to take the credit for his care.

"Look, she's probably tired from traveling and probably has all these important meetings to attend. What's a couple of comatose patients? They're not going anywhere. Chances are she won't be here until tomorrow. Go home, get some rest, you look like hell. You don't to be looking like that when Kakashi wakes do you?"

The last part struck a nerve. Her eyes were probably red from (not) crying. She felt frazzled and emotionally exhausted. She did need to rest. "You're right," Kaori acquiesced. "I'll leave when it gets dark, then I'll be here first thing in the morning."

But Kaori did not get a good night's sleep. She spent it tossing and turning and thinking about Kakashi. Each time she fell asleep, she started dreaming. The dreams were obscured and all she could remember when she woke was that she was reaching out for him, but he walked away from her without looking back.

As soon as it dawned, she washed up, had breakfast and changed back into her uniform. She took extra care with her hair and makeup to ensure she was looking her best when Kakashi woke. She skipped her exercises, since she was still tired from lack of sleep, and went directly to the hospital.

When she arrived there, Kaori saw the entire medical staff waiting in the main lobby, even those who were not due for their shifts, and those whose shifts were over. Panic struck her as she feared Tsunade had already come and gone, but Iashi saw her reaction and quickly explained that Tsunade was expected this morning had not arrived yet. Kaori sighed in relief and waited with everyone else.

They waited and waited while Tsunade met with the two elderly advisors, said hello to Shikamaru and his dad, then finally followed Naruto to the hospital. It was nearly ten o'clock by the time they arrived.

A hush fell over the medical staff when the newly appointed Fifth Hokage entered the building. They all immediately dropped on one knee, except for Otoha who had to be pulled down by Kaori.

Tsunade stared at the crowd haughtily and frowned. "Don't you all have patients to attend to? What the hell are you all doing here wasting time?" she scolded angrily.

There was an uncomfortable silence as the crowd slowly broke up to attend to their duties. Those who were not on duty still hung around.

Naruto could contain himself no longer. "Let's go! Let's go! Sakura-chan's probably there right now!" He pushed Tsunade toward Sasuke's room. Kaori, Iashi, and Shizune with Tonton in her arms, followed close behind.

"So…Shizune-san, how have you been," Kaori tentatively said to her childhood friend as they walked toward Sasuke's room. "It's been a long time."

Shizune was surprised at the rather formal address. Since when did they go from "chan" to "san"? She and Kaori had been best friends as children, until Shizune graduated the academy before Kaori. Things changed after that. Shizune graduated the Academy at nine years old and became a chuunin at thirteen, while Kaori graduated at twelve but failed to become even a lowly genin. Shizune left Konoha soon after her promotion and spent a rather lonely life as Tsunade's protégé/servant.

'_How long has it been since I left Konoha with Tsunade-sama?_' Shizune thought to herself. It had been nearly fifteen years since Tsunade officially left. Although they occasionally visited Konoha, they did not stay for more than a few days. "Yes, it's been a while. I'm glad to be back, for good this time, I hope," Shizune smiled at her old friend.

They soon reached Sasuke's room whereupon Tsunade asked for a report. Iashi quickly summarized Sasuke's condition, but Tsunade was barely listening. Instead she observed the young girl by Sasuke's side. She noticed two flowers in a vase and realized that they weren't brought on the same day. They were most likely from the girl and Tsunade deduced that she had been visiting this comatose boy everyday. _'Young love...when I was her age I was on the front lines. Love didn't come till much later and then...' _Tsunade forced the thoughts of her lover Dan out of her head as she concentrated on the task at hand.

The legendary healer channeled green chakra and placed her palm on the boy's forehead. No one spoke a word as they witnessed her power. Less than a minute later, Sasuke blinked his eyes and then sat up as if in a daze. His faithful teammate immediately threw her arms around him and started crying.

Naruto finally realized how much Sakura cared for Sasuke and in a rare tactful moment, left the room, signaling Tsunade and the others to follow.

The touching scene caused Kaori to think about her own reaction. She could not throw her arms tearfully around Kakashi. He didn't even know her. All she could do was stand by and watch. She followed the rest of the group in thoughtful silence until Shizune spoke to her.

"So…umm…Kaori-san (_Shizune decided to use the same address_), how long have you been working here?"

"Oh, I've been here for nearly ten years now. After a couple of attempts at making genin, I gave up, decided that the medical field was more to my taste anyway. Never cared for all the fighting," Kaori said pointedly to save face.

"I'll have to agree with you," Shizune said reflectively. "Just being a medic is better. I'd rather save lives, but back then, medic nin were also needed during combat. You're lucky you were never sent to the front lines."

Shizune's words shamed Kaori. Shizune was still the same nice considerate girl. She didn't realize how envious Kaori was of her superior talent. The nurse then looked over at the legendary healer, redirecting the target of her envy. Tsunade would probably be the first person Kakashi would see when he woke. What if he fell in love with her first? She was way, way too old for him, but she looked great for her age, with long golden hair and a bust that rivaled Otoha's.

Kaori whispered to Shizune, "Your auntie looks just like she did before you left. She hasn't aged in decades!"

"She uses a special jutsu to mold her chakra," Shizune explained.

"That's really something," Kaori sighed, jealously thinking how the half century old woman looked younger and had a much better figure than she did.

-...-...-...-...-

_Author's Notes: Okay, Kakashi will wake in the next chapter. I had to break it up to switch POV. Thanks for your patience!_

-...-...-...-...-


	13. The Awakening

_Author's Notes: I had expected that Kakashi would wake earlier, but when actually writing the story, ideas come up, and it wouldn't be as well paced or flow as well if I had him wake any earlier. So here it is…_

**_The Awakening _**

Alone in a dark void for days uncountable - no sight nor sound, nothing to touch or smell or taste, not even an enemy to torment him. Most would have gone mad from the endless solitude, but he was used to it. Nearly all of his life he was alone, first by circumstance and then by choice.

It could have been days or months or years, or just mere minutes. The effects of Itachi's attack distorted time. All he could do was wait. Wait for something to happen. Either for his existence to be extinguished or to be somehow saved from this darkness.

But there were short periods of time when there did seem to be something or someone out there trying to reach him. It was as if the darkness grew lighter and his mind cleared from its fog. That helped save his sanity. And now something different was happening in this void.

Somewhere in the distance he saw a pinpoint of light. It was dim but grew stronger and larger and became a green beacon. He instinctively walked toward it and it soon encompassed him with a feeling of comforting warmth. It grew too bright for either of his eyes to withstand and he had to close his eyes tightly against the blinding light.

When he felt the heat and the brightness from the light dissipate, he slowly opened his eyes and found a buxom blond hovering over him. At first he wondered if he were truly dead and had gone to Icha Icha Heaven, then his eyes finally focused and he recognized one of legendary sannin.

"Hmmph, I heard you lost to just two traitors. I thought you were a genius," Tsunade berated Kakashi for all to hear.

Kakashi hung his head.

Any respect Kaori had for the legendary healer vanished in that instant. For Tsunade to say something so cruel to a man who had nearly sacrificed himself to protect the village, was unforgivable. It took all the will power Kaori had to not jump on the pretentious old hag's back and pull out her hair. Knowing how futile that would be, all Kaori could do was grit her teeth and hang back with the rest of the group. (Kaori knew Tsunade could kill her with a flick of a finger and she didn't want to be the subject of gossip. She could already hear Otoha yelling "catfight!")

Just then, Gai arrived, almost out of breath. He was concerned about his protégé, and barely acknowledged Kaori, despite his claim that they were mean to be. Instead, he focused all his attention on Tsunade. Kaori found herself unreasonably miffed at this sudden lack of attention.

"Forget about that idiot! Please take a look at my student Lee!" said Gai impatiently.

Naruto had left earlier to meet with Iruka. He didn't bother to stay to see how his sensei was faring. Sakura was still with Sasuke. It seemed no one cared about poor Kakashi at all.

Shizune and Iashi followed Gai and Tsunade, but Kaori decided to stay. Someone should, she reasoned, after all, Sasuke had Sakura to look after him. "Good morning, Kakashi-sensei. I'm Kuchiki Kaori, your nurse." She paused, uncertain what to say next. "I'm sorry, but I just have to say...that wasn't fair of Tsunade-sama to say what she did. No one should shoulder such a burden. You can't be responsible for the whole village."

He shrugged as if it hadn't bothered him at all.

"Now that Tsunade-sama has healed you, I'm sure you're fine now, but one of the medics will be by to give you a thorough checkup. Would you like anything in the meantime?"

He just shook his weary head.

"Well, you're probably hungry. How about I bring you something to eat?'

He nodded.

"Anything in particular?"

Kakashi shook his head again.

"I took the liberty of stocking your bathroom with a few toiletries. I figured you'd want to freshen up when you woke."

"Thank you," he finally said.

His awakening did not go as Kaori had hoped or imagined, but at least she got her thank you and there seemed little chance of Kakashi falling for Tsunade. Still she was bothered by Tsunade's terrible bedside manner. Why would she say something like that? Was there something between her and Kakashi? Did something happen in the past? Tsunade left over ten years ago, but Kakashi had been a full fledged shinobi long before that, so there was a chance that they knew each other well. Maybe he had served under her. Still, to be greeted like that as soon as you were out of a coma must have been distressing. So unfair that the Uchiha boy received tears and hugs for doing something as stupid as trying to take revenge on his much more powerful brother, while Kakashi received criticism for saving two of his comrades. Kakashi deserved better, she thought, someone like herself who would take good care of him.

On her way to the cafeteria she asked one of the medic nin on duty to check on Kakashi. She didn't know what Kakashi liked to eat, but since he had not eaten in months she thought something easily digestible would be best. She decided on a bowl of chicken soup and Jello, nice red, not green Jello, and a pint of apple juice. By the time Kaori returned to Kakashi's room, the medic was done with his exam. Kaori wondered if Kakashi had taken off his mask - he still had it on and was in the middle of pulling down his shirt when she arrived. She got a nice glimpse of his sculpted torso and cursed herself for stupidly not assisting during the exam.

"Everything seems to be in order," Kanpou said. "You can probably go home today, but I recommend staying overnight for observation."

"I'd like to go home."

"Well, it's up to you, but wait a few more hours, just in case. Maybe late afternoon. Kaori-san will check your vitals before you go to make sure," the medic said on his way out.

Kakashi nodded and glanced over at the nurse who started to set up his meal on a little side table by the bed. She was a very pretty petite woman in her mid-twenties, he estimated, with large hazel eyes and reddish brown hair with a luxurious sheen.

"I thought something easy on the stomach would be best after so long," she said as she moved the table in place.

"How long has it been?" her patient asked.

"Ten weeks, two days," Kaori automatically answered.

"That long, huh. What's been going on in the village?"

"Well, as you saw, Tsunade-sama just arrived yesterday. She's probably going to be the Fifth Hokage. I don't know why it took Naruto-san and Jiraiya-sama so long to bring her back. Anyway, nothing's much has changed. There's been no sign of Sasuke's brother or his friend. Oh, I'm sorry you probably don't know about Sasuke..."

"What happened to Sasuke?" A note of urgency crept into his voice. He was finally showing some emotion.

"Sigh, after you were admitted, Sasuke-san was brought in by Gai-sensei. He was trying to warn Naruto-san about his brother. Sasuke-san was apparently subjected to the same jutsu as you, so he's been in a coma all this time, too. But he's fine now, Sakura-san is with him," Kaori smiled reassuringly.

Kakashi nodded in relief.

"I brought a few newspapers I've been saving. I figured you would want to catch up," Kaori offered. "Some light reading and rest is best. If you need anything, anything at all, please don't hesitate to press the call button." She pointed to the side of the bed.

"Thank you." After experiencing the cold solitude for months, Kakashi would have preferred some company, any company, but how would it look for him to ask the pretty nurse to stay? For a veteran shinobi to make a request based on such a cowardly emotion as loneliness, was unmanly at best, so he said nothing else.

"Oh, I almost forgot..." Kaori turned back and took a book from a bag on the bottom shelf of the cart. "Umm...maybe you'd like to borrow this...in case you finish with the papers." She blushed as she handed over her copy of Icha Icha Violence Volume 3.

That definitely sparked a response. Both of Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise and excitement. He grasped the book in both hands as though he had found a long buried treasure. Embarrassed by the contents of the book, Kaori quickly left before Kakashi could thank her.

When he looked back up, all he saw was her retreating form. He hadn't thought much about who had been attending to him during his coma. Something about her seemed very familiar. He had undoubted seen her before, when Sasuke was admitted to the hospital after he sealed Orochimaru's curse, but there seemed to be something more than that. He glanced down at the book and wondered what she was doing with it and why she had given it to him. But he just shrugged to himself, put aside the book, lowered his mask, and dug into his soup, trying to finish all his food before anyone could see him without his mask.

On the way back to her desk, Kaori heard the bad news about Lee from Shizune. Multiple bone fragments were embedded deep within Lee's nervous system. Even with an operation there was only a fifty percent chance of succeeding and if it failed, he'd die. Despite all the trouble Lee and his sensei put her through, her heart went out to them.

Lee was alone when Kaori visited since Gai had run off to talk with Tsunade again. As experienced as she was in consoling people and delivering bad news, it was still difficult. How many times had she had to tell a patient who had just woken up from surgery that they had to remove a limb, or that his comrades didn't make it. Bad news really should have come from the medics, but they always convinced her that it was better coming from a nurse who could not be held responsible and who would not be the target of the patients' anger.

"I'm sorry, I heard the prognosis from Shizune-san," Kaori said to the unnaturally quiet boy.

Lee sat on a chair in his room with his head lowered and staring down at nothing but his bandaged hands. He nodded mutely. "I do not know what to do," Lee finally said. "A fifty percent chance is not very good, is it?"

Kaori sighed, "No, it's not. I don't want to influence your decision, but maybe fate has its reasons." She gave him a consoling smile. "Not being a shinobi is not the end of the world. It's not so bad. I mean look at me - I couldn't make genin after several tries. Now I'm just as happy being a nurse. I get to help people. It's a satisfying job..."

"I do not want to be a nurse."

"I'm just saying there are other things you can do."

"Proving that I can be a shinobi with hard work is my dream," the boy said defiantly.

"You've already proven yourself to everyone. Gai sensei is already very proud of you." Kaori placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"This is just as hard on Gai-sensei. He had such hopes for me. I do not want to let him down." Lee sniffed.

How touching, he was as concerned about his sensei as himself. Why weren't Kakashi's genin like Lee? "I'm sure the two of you will pull through this together. Either way he's proud of you and will always be."

Lee managed a smile for the nurse, which made both of them feel better.

Kaori completed the rest of her morning rounds with a visit to Sasuke's room. She found Sakura feeding Sasuke and decided to leave the two potential lovebirds alone. _'How romantic,'_ she sighed, and wished very badly she could do the same for Kakashi. That way she'd get to see his face again. But adults were different from children. Adults did not wear their hearts on their sleeves. They hid the emotions that could embarrass them. That was the case for most adults. There were some carefree souls like Otoha who did not care what people thought, who said and did whatever they wanted, like a child who didn't care about possible punishment. In that respect, Kaori envied her rival.

When Kaori finally returned to her desk, it was already time for lunch. In her excitement she hadn't brought anything so she had to make another trip to the cafeteria. There she found Shizune, puzzling over what to order. She raised her head and smiled when Kaori greeted her.

"So where's your aunt? I thought you'd be with her. You two are practically chained together," Kaori teased. She knew Tsunade was not Shizune's real aunt but had adopted her after the deaths of her parents and uncle, another orphan. Kaori guiltily thought how she took her own family for granted.

"Tsunade-sama likes to...umm...have lunch in places that serve alcohol. I don't really drink so I thought I'd just grab some lunch here and later see if there's been any changes since we left."

"Well, we've updated the computer system fairly recently and all the old records have been scanned and archived. They've also improved the food. Before the food was little better than the shinobi rations." Kaori grabbed a low calorie chicken breast sandwich that came with lettuce and tomato, and a diet soda.

Shizune decided to go for the special - pork katsu over rice, a side salad with tamarind dressing, and a couple of gyoza. She also ordered milk tea with double sugar. Kaori calculated that Shizune was consuming twice the number of calories as she was. Then again, Shizune was several inches taller, stronger, and probably needed the extra energy for jutsu, or maybe she was going to feed some of her food to that little pig that she carried around. No, maybe not, since she did order pork katsu.

"So how have you been? Married? Children?" asked Shizune as the two women placed their trays on a little table.

"No, neither. You?"

"Like Tsunade-sama would let anyone get close," Shizune sighed. "But I'm surprised you're not. Are you seeing anyone special?" Shizune was actually interested in who was still available, as she did not want to accidentally trespass on someone else's property. She remembered Kaori was the jealous type.

"Well...sort of... it's complicated," Kaori said evasively, wondering how much of Gai's crazy antics and her crush on Kakashi she should mention.

Shizune was surprised her old friend was not hooked up. Kaori had always been one of the prettiest girls. She somehow kept every hair in place even during strenuous training. Though her dress was understated, it was always fashionable and she held herself with a confident ease. But Shizune always looked a bit strung out and unkempt. It was a complete surprise to both of them when Shizune's talent for jutsu blossomed in their second year of classes at the Academy.

"Umm...Gai sensei seems very nice. You don't see many sensei so concerned about their students..." Shizune started to say.

A little lightbulb switched on in Kaori's head.

-...-...-...-...-

_Author's Notes: Okay, not a whole lot with Kakashi yet but there'll be more as the story progresses._


	14. Kaori's Courage

****

Kaori's Courage

Kaori spent the afternoon preparing paperwork for Tsunade's review at Shizune's request, including current personnel, staff openings, training, budget, and equipment requests. She had a suspicion that Shizune would be the one reviewing the stack of reports rather than her aunt who seemed more likely to sit in front of a slot machine all day than behind a desk. Why would she wear a robe advertising gambling on the back?

Despite procrastinating as much as she could to avoid the inevitable, it was time for her afternoon rounds and to check out Kakashi. _'I will not be upset. He is just another patient. After this, things will go back to being like they were. Back to my boring so called life. But I was fine with that,' _Kaori insisted to herself. She made him her last stop. Kakashi was sitting up in bed reading the Icha Icha book. The newspapers were barely touched. He looked up lazily as she approached.

"Do you think you're ready to go home today? You really should stay overnight," Kaori suggested hopefully.

Instead of answering he asked, "You're the one who's been taking care of me all this time?"

"Well," she blushed, "there's several of us and we take shifts, but I'm the primary caretaker on record." Although there were two or three other nurses on duty during the time Kaori was off, they worked the night and graveyard shifts and were not required to check the status of comatose patients. Not that Kaori would allow them anyway.

He held up the book. "You read this to me?"

She turned several shades darker. "I...er...read both series to you. I heard they're your favorite and...um...they seem to be the only books that you respond to… based on your brainwave pattern. They say reading to comatose patients can help in their recovery. I...um... wouldn't normally read something like that...but I have to admit I can see why they're so popular..." Kaori rambled on, too embarrassed to look at him as she checked his blood pressure and temperature (using an ear thermometer because Kaori could not trust herself to use an oral or anal one, though they were more accurate). "I wish I could heal people like Tsunade-sama. Why would someone with such great power abandon her village? How can anyone be so irresponsible? If I had her power, I would use it to heal people 24/7, and for free if they couldn't pay. But I'm so pathetic, couldn't make genin after graduation, can barely mold or channel chakra. Just a nurse..."

"There's things just as important as medical jutsu. I'm sure your pleasant bedside manner had a healing effect." It seemed he smiled at her from under his mask.

That was it. There was no way she could let him walk out of her life. Kaori summoned all the courage she could muster and looked at him directly. "I know you'll be leaving now, but if you need anything, anything at all, you can count on me...I mean, that is, if you need someone to help you out...It'll be a while until you're fully recovered. I can run errands for you or help with chores...or if you just need someone to talk to...a friend, you know..." That was all she could say before she her courage ran out.

Kakashi said nothing for a minute and looked at the pretty nurse appraisingly. He was no fool when it came to reading people. It was obvious she had developed feelings for him. Not uncommon among patients and medical professionals. And it was likely she had seen him without his mask. He sighed - that always happened. That's why he put in his medical records not to remove his mask - complications like this always came up.

"Thank you for the kind offer," he said evasively. Sometimes when a woman threw herself at him, he would go along. But it depended on the woman. He tried to avoid the serious ones. Kaori looked like the serious type. Not the type to just have a little fun, but the type who would be heartbroken when she realized he wasn't the type to commit.

As usual, real life was nothing like fantasy. The Kakashi in her dreams would be all over her by now. Instead, he barely registered any interest. But there was nothing more Kaori could say or do to stop him from leaving. "You're good to go. I've already checked Sasuke out. I don't know if you've heard but Rock Lee's condition is still serious. Even with an operation there's only a 50 percent that he'll recover." She left out the "or die" part since that was too distressing. Lee hadn't been in his room. It seemed he had gone out for a walk to think about his decision some more.

Kakashi just nodded thoughtfully at the news. He handed back her copy of "Ich Icha Violence Volume 3." His last words to her were, "Thank you for everything."

-...-...-...-...-_'I wonder if he'll be okay. I wonder if he can take care of himself. I wonder if he'll contact me…'_ Kaori's musings were interrupted by the thorn in her side, Otoha. The vapid nurse had not been at her desk all day. Instead she had been running rapid with the rumor mill.

"So how did it go with your lover boy?" Otoha asked.

"I don't know whom you're talking about." Kaori's ears started burning.

"Did you declare your undying love to coma man?" Otoha teased.

"I don't know what you're talking about." The vein above Kaori's left eye started to pulsate.

"Did he reject you? Maybe you're not his type. Hmm, I think I'll look him up. You don't mind do you?" Otoha was actually serious about this.

"What you do is none of my concern." She slammed a stack of files onto Otoha's desk.

"Oh really? In that case I'll head over after I get off. Hmm, let's look up his address..."

"I'm afraid you've been recruited to involuntary overtime," Kaori ordered.

"What? You can't do that!"

"Sure I can. I'm the head nurse now, so if you want to keep your job..." Kaori pointed to the stack of files. Kaori had recently been promoted. Her dedication to her work finally paid off, over Otoha's friendliness with the hospital board of directors.

"Fine! But just so you know, you're not the one who healed him. He's much more likely to fall for that Shizune. She's his equal," Otoha said maliciously. She'd rather see Kakashi with anyone but her annoying, controlling, holier-than-thou boss.

Kaori did not deign to answer. That thought had crossed her mind and she already had a plan to prevent it.

-...-...-...-

Kaori didn't need to look up Kakashi's home address - she already had it memorized. After learning of Otoha's intentions, she decided to drop by after work and luckily she got off a couple of hours earlier than Otoha, foiling her rival's plans. She stopped by the grocery store to pick up a few staples (bread, milk, eggs, and oranges) and then the ramen stand where she bought two bowls of vegetarian ramen to take out. Vegetables were more easily digestible and more nutritious than the meat items, she reasoned. She made her way to Kakashi's abode with her heart beating faster with each step.

_'What am I doing? Am I stalking Kakashi? Here I am bringing him food, just dropping in on him. Just like what Gai did to me...what the hell?! I'm turning into Gai!"_ But she decided it was too late to change her mind as she had already bought the ramen and groceries.

Kakashi lived in one of the jounin dorms - small efficiencies meant for those who were rarely home. She thought how he could afford a much nicer and bigger place and wondered why he still lived there. She made her way up the stairs and found his door on the top floor. After taking a deep breath, she rang the doorbell three times. A few seconds later, she heard him call out, "Who is it?"

"It's Kuchiki Kaori, the nurse from the hospital," she responded calmly, though her knees were shaking

Another minute passed before she heard footsteps coming toward the door. When he opened it, she saw he was dressed in a sleeveless dark blue shirt with a mask that extended to cover the lower half of his face and a pair of dark blue lounging pants, both similar to his usual attire.

He said nothing but just looked down at her.

_'He's seems so tall, but maybe because I'm so short,'_ thought Kaori who was barely 5' 3" while Kakashi was 5' 11" according to his medical records, _'or maybe it's the hair...'_

"I...uh... bought you some groceries and some ramen for dinner. I was afraid you didn't get a chance to go shopping and anything in your refrigerator probably went bad after all this time."

"Hmm, I just cleaned out my fridge, pretty disgusting. I was just about to hunt for some canned food and there's always shinobi rations - they last practically forever. But Ichiraku ramen does sound better." He reached out and took the bags she was holding out. "Thank you for the consideration. Do you treat all your patients like this?" he asked with a teasing tone.

Kaori couldn't help but blush again. "I…uh… I can't help but feel responsible for you after all this time," she said with dignity.

"Well then, thanks... mom," Kakashi said with a laugh.

_'This is not what I wanted! I don't want to be seen as a mother figure!'_ Kaori turned redder, in contrast to her starched white uniform, and frowned in response which made him chuckle even more.

Kaori never liked to be teased. Her family said she lacked a sense of humor about herself. So rather than subject herself to further embarrassment, she went into her professional mode. "You should get some more rest and not worry about cleaning your apartment for now. I can arrange for someone to come over tomorrow and..."

"Yes, mother," he said in a falsely serious tone, which embarrassed her even more.

"Of course you can take care of yourself. I guess I'm just being silly. You've been doing it for years. You don't need me to tell you what to do. Sorry, I should get going. Goodnight," Kaori said, trying to save face.

"Good-night and thank you again." This time he sounded genuinely serious and appreciative. Kaori simply nodded and made her way home, feeling very confused.

Kakashi secretly did want someone to take care of him. Being rather lazy, the thought of cleaning his apartment was not a welcomed one. And after living independently for over two decades, it would have been nice to have the little nurse cater to him. How cute she was, blushing when he called her his mother. He had never actually known his mother, who died before he could form memories. He no longer had any family pictures. Their ancestral home was destroyed in Kyuubi's attack. All he had was his father's ninja registration photo, and nothing of his mother at all.

"You should have asked her to stay," said the Obito voice that spoke to him at times.

"Then one thing would lead to another and..."

"When was the last time you got any?"

"Yeah, well, it's been a while. I've been busy with my team."

"So what's stopping you now? You know she wants you!"

"You know how complicated things get with serious girls like her."

"So what? Worry about that later. Have some fun now."

"It's not going to work out in the long run."

"You don't know that. You're just saying that because you're afraid."

"Me, afraid? I've never been afraid of anything in my life."

"Ha! Say that to Orochimaru and Itachi."

"You're very annoying."

"You'd be dead without my eye. You owe me. So listen up!"

"Sigh, if she persists...and gets the nerve to ask me out...well then maybe. After all, who am I to turn down a pretty lady?"

"You're too lazy to ask her out yourself!"

"Lazy? You're calling _me _lazy..."

If anyone had known Konoha's top jounin had these conversations with himself, Kakashi would have gotten a one-way ticket to the shinobi asylum.

-…-…-…-

_Author's Notes: Slow updates since my computer crashed, I sent it in for repair and HP lost it!_


	15. Lee's Decision

-…-…-…-

_**Lee's Decision**_

Kaori spent the night thinking about recent events and the men in her life: Kakashi, whose behavior confused her; Lee whose condition depressed her; and Gai whose behavior always aggravated her. She knew she had to make it 100 percent clear to Gai that she had no romantic interest in him. The past attempts had failed but now that Kakashi was awake, she could not have him thinking that she was interested in Gai. It would be nice to have Kakashi fight over her, but he seemed more like the type to walk away from too much effort.

But with Lee's condition as it was, the soft hearted nurse could not bring herself to break Gai's heart twice. What if Lee decided to undergo the operation and didn't make it...then she might be stuck with Gai forever! Kaori selfishly resolved that Lee not undergo the operation. Then after a couple of weeks when Lee and Gai had accepted his fate, she could break it off with Gai with no guilt. So that was Kaori's plan when she reported to work in the morning.

Lee was not in his room during her morning rounds. And thanks to Tsunade-sama, there were many more empty rooms, including Sasuke's and Kakashi's, but out of lingering habit, she checked those rooms anyway. _'How empty and quiet_,' she sighed when she entered Kakashi's room. The monitors were no longer beeping; there was no longer the low sound of his slow shallow rhythmic breathing. The bedding had already been changed for a future patient. But now with Tsunade and Shizune back in town, chances were any future patient would have a short stay. Not wanting to return to her desk, where another stack of files waited for her, she sat down in the chair where she had sat reading to Kakashi for the past couple of months. Her hand strayed to stroke the pillow where his head had lain while she reminisced about how her sleeping prince adorably reacted to his favorite books and how satisfying it was to see the peaks on the monitor.

When she returned to her desk, one of the other nurses informed her that Lee had not gone to rehab and that Sakura was looking for him. Kaori was worried despite the brave face Lee put on for her yesterday, but she also cursed missing the chance to ask Sakura to convince Lee not to go through with the operation. Since Lee was missing from the hospital, her first concern was to get him to return for rehab, so she sent a message to Gai via one of the hospital's messenger birds. "Lee is missing. Please bring him back for rehab. Let him know that there are other things he can do besides being a shinobi - Kaori," she wrote.

While waiting for Lee to return, Kaori thought about other possible careers for Lee. The boy would always walk with a limp and though his left hand would function normally, it'd be weak. Still he would be stronger with just one right arm than the average civilian. He was polite and enthusiastic. There should be plenty of other things he could do.

_'Hmm,'_ Kaori mused, '_He's not that bright so anything involving math like accounting is out...If he wants to continue physical work...maybe a carpenter...a bouncer at my brother's gambling den...well...he'll have to be a bit older...a motivational speaker...that's a good one. He can talk about how to continue to live life to its fullest despite a tragic injury. He seems like he'd be good with kids...maybe a teacher or host of a kiddie show...The green jumpsuit might be appropriate for ballet…but he won't be able to dance with a bad leg…'_

Less than a half hour later, the two shinobi returned to the hospital. They were met at the main door by Kaori who scolded gently, "Sakura-san was looking for you. You were supposed to be in rehab."

Lee ignored her scolding and smiled at her instead. "I have come to a decision about the operation."

"That's good," Kaori began to say, "Your life is more important than anything. There's plenty of other..."

"I have decided to take the risk."

Kaori frowned and looked at Gai. "You...didn't you talk to him?"

"Of course I did. That's why Lee realizes what it means to be a man, to be a shinobi. Life is nothing if not risk!"

"I can't believe you approve..."

"What do you mean? Of course Lee has to pursue his dream. What else is there to live for?" Gai was shocked that the woman of his destiny disagreed with him.

"There's lots of things to live for! Being a shinobi is not the be all and end all to everything! This village needs all kinds of people…"

"Gai-sensei said if the operation failed, he promised he would die with me," Lee announced proudly.

"What?! Are you crazy?" She turned to Gai. "What kind of promise is that?" she asked, but a small part of her thought how that would definitely solve her problem.

"It's the promise of a lifetime - no one should die alone. Our souls will enter the great beyond simultaneously."

"No one should die alone, that's true, but that doesn't mean you should die with him. It means there should always be someone with you when you die," Kaori explained in exasperation. Gai had a strange outlook on life. "And you're not going to die," Kaori quickly added for Lee's sake.

"No, I am not. A positive outlook will improve my chances," Lee said optimistically. "Thank you for taking care of me these many weeks, but I have made my final decision," he said to Kaori.

Just then Shizune entered the room. She interrupted quietly. "Did you come to a decision?" she asked the boy, though she had overheard the discussion.

"Yes, I have. I have decided to take the risk."

"I came to tell you that Tsunade-sama has been working very hard since yesterday on your case. She's increased the probability to 60 percent (_Shizune rounded up_). Tomorrow's the inauguration so we'll have to schedule the operation for the day after that. I'm sure by then the chances will increase even more," Shizune smiled reassuringly.

Lee and Gai now ignored Kaori and focused their attention on their new angel. "What has Tsunade-sama discovered?" asked Lee.

"Well, she said the key is chakra. Since cells can be many different things, we must activate them all at once. It's difficult, but it can be done."

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much for saving my precious one!" Gai said unabashedly hugging Shizune.

"The operation's not till later. You can thank Tsuande-sama afterwards," Shizune said in embarrassment as she tried to push him off.

Kaori did not like being left out, nor did she think Shizune should encourage such a decision even if the chances were improved. But then she had another thought. Gai no longer seemed to be as interested in her now that his attention was focused on Lee's operation. This would be a perfect opportunity to end it all, and she could shift Gai's affection to Shizune. Sure Shizune was an old friend of hers, but her sanity was more important than friendship. And though she disapproved of the risk, for her it was a win-win situation. Should Lee die, Gai would be gone too. Should Lee live, Kaori could credit Shizune and pass Gai's affection onto her. _'BAD! BAD! BAD Kaori!' _she scolded herself for such terrible selfish thoughts. '_You're a professional and you must treat this as a professional case!'_

"Let's leave Lee to his rehabilitation session. His therapist is here now," Kaori ordered, while giving Shizune a look that meant "We need to talk."

The two women waited until Lee and Gai disappeared from view. Then Kaori turned to Shizune to say, "How could you encourage him to take such a risk?"

Shizune sighed. "Lee already made his decision. I was just trying to make him feel better about it."

"But you could have tried to convince him to change his mind..."

"It's not up to us, is it? We can give him the facts, but we don't know him well enough to make a decision for him. What if being a shinobi really does mean everything to that boy? What if he's miserable for the rest of his life, wondering what if he had gone through with the operation? These genin, they're no longer children, Kaori-san. You can't control them."

The last part struck a nerve. Control, that was one of Kaori's problems. Her siblings always complained how she had control issues. She was the oldest so she was used to bossing them around. As a nurse, she was used to telling the patients what to do. And as a senior nurse and now head nurse, she was used to telling the other nurses what to do. She always tried to maintain control of her life, and her feelings. But she had no control over life and death.

Kaori frowned but nodded in agreement. "Of course you're right. It's just... Lee's been here so long... He's like a little brother to me. I'd really miss him if..." Kaori sniffled a bit at the thought of attending another funeral.

"Have faith in Tsunade-sama," Shizune smiled. "She's really more trustworthy that she acts."

The rest of the day followed uneventfully (Otoha was off), though Kaori looked up every time someone entered the hospital, hoping Kakashi would drop by for a visit. But he never came. She couldn't help thinking of him despite other pressing issues and wondered if she should drop by his place again. It was tempting, very tempting, but how would it look for her to so desperately chase after a man? It really should be the other way around, shouldn't it? So with that thought she stubbornly decided not to go out of her way to see him. But then again, his place was sort of on the way home, and so what if she happened to drop by, as a medical profession, to see how he was. And if she were to do that, then she would have to bring something. You couldn't visit someone without bringing something.

So with that reasoning, Kaori decided to buy two orders of fish congee and went to visit Kakashi after work. Not that she thought he would eat both orders, but she hoped he would invite her in to share.

Kakashi's first thought when he saw Kaori with more takeout was:_ 'Hmm…the way this is working out, I may never have to buy dinner again!'_

'_You cheap bastard!'_ said the Obito voice.

"Hi…I…uh…I'm just checking to see that you're eating properly. I brought you some fish congee. That should be easy on your stomach. No fried foods for a while until your system adjusts…" Kaori advised with her professional tone.

"Hmm… the medics didn't tell me these things…"

"They don't really think too much about post-op care once you leave the hospital. But I always try to educate patients…"

"That's very considerate of you, but I'm fine. You don't need to bring me food." But he took the bag from her anyway. _'I wonder why she brings me two orders. I don't eat that much for dinner. Well, I can always save one for lunch like last time. Hmm…I may never have to buy lunch or dinner again!'_

'_You super cheap bastard!'_ said the Obito voice.

"Of course not… I don't plan to do this again. I mean… I'm just doing this seeing that you don't have someone to tend to you… not that you really need someone to do that…but it's better to have someone watch over you when you've just left the hospital in case of any unforeseen problems…" Kaori rambled.

"Hmm… that's true, but I'm fine, really. Thank you but you don't need to do this."

'_Invite her in you idiot! She wants you bad!'_ said the Obito voice.

"Right, you can take care of yourself now…um… so are you going to attend the inauguration tomorrow?"

"I suppose everyone in Konoha will be there," he shrugged.

"Well, the hospital has to retain a skeleton crew in case of emergencies, but it's my day off, " Kaori hinted.

"That's good. Maybe I'll see you there," Kakashi said noncommittally.

"Yes, well, then I'll see you…"

"Good-night and thanks again," Kakashi said as he closed the door, before Kaori had a chance to finish her thought.

-…-…-…-…-

"You should have asked her in. It's not like you get many visitors," complained the Obito voice.

"Shut up."

"What's the problem? Her boobs not big enough for you?"

"I didn't notice."

"Yeah, right. She's a nice piece of eye candy. A bit lacking in front, but no big deal."

"Sigh, give me a break, I'm still recuperating. Maybe later, all right?"

"Recuperating? You mean resting your lazy ass! Get off your butt and get some action!"

"That's it, I'm turning you off!"

"As if you could! As long as you have my eye, you're stuck with me…"

-…-…-…-…-

_Author's Notes: Finally got a computer back, but not the same as mine and it's not compatible with my hard drive or accessories! _


	16. Lee's Operation

_**Lee's Operation**_

The next morning, the air buzzed with activity. It seemed all of Konoha had surrounded the Hokage administrative building. It was the day of Tsunade's official inauguration. The ceremony started with the elders giving the usual speeches, praising the former hokage, giving the illustrious background of the new hokage, and promising good things to come. They were unreasonable expectations given the state of the village, enemies lying in wait, and Tsunade's alcoholism, but the elders had no other choice of hokage candidates, and the village needed a morale boost.

Kaori was stuck with the congregation of medical staff, who had immediately called her over when they saw her. She was obligated to be with her coworkers, but she really wanted to be with Kakashi. During the ceremony, Kaori desperately tried to get a glimpse of Kakashi among the thick crowd, tiptoeing her highest. She barely heard any of the speeches, but she could hear Otoha and Houshou "discussing" Tsunade's past.

"Is it true she's afraid of blood?" asked Otoha.

"Yes, after the tragic death of her lover, she had a mental breakdown and developed hemophobia."

"How ironic and weird. I mean, she's a medic nin and a super shinobi. She should be use to blood and death. Sure, someone close to her died, but to develop a phobia from that… just seems like a weak personality."

"Don't let her hear you say that. She's known for her physical strength…"

"And her boobs! Are they for real? I mean, she's like what 50 or something, and she looks like she's still in her 20s. I heard she uses a special jutsu, but you'd think she'd have some humility and tone those down."

"Hah, hah, they are quite nice. But yours of course are much nicer, and they're real for sure!"

So it seemed her ex-boyfriend Houshou, the handsome medic nin, was now involved with Otoha. A twinge of jealousy went through Kaori but she shook it off. They continued to gossip about Tsunade's past:, including the deaths of her brother and her lover, her fear of blood, her withdrawal from Konoha, her gambling addition and debts, and her love for drink. None of it sounded positive at all. But it didn't concern Kakashi so Kaori didn't care. Despite her comrades' doubts about Tsunade, and her terrible bedside manner, she did heal Kakashi and for that Kaori was grateful.

The crowd roared as Tsunade appeared. She had refused the official white hokage robe and stuck to her usual attire, a gray tunic and green robe, but accepted the red and white hokage hat to keep the sun out of her eyes. She said a few words and ended the ceremony announcing that she would protect the village as the fifth hokage. Everyone clapped even louder, especially because her speech was so short. Many remembered Sandaime's tedious pontifications (twice!) and Yondaime's inspirational speech laden with overly long quotes from his predecessors.

Kaori finally caught a glimpse of Kakashi standing at the outer fringes with Sasuke. But he was too far away for her to attract his attention. The crowd began to disperse as the ceremony ended. She managed to make her way over to where she saw him, but he had already gone.

What to do? It was her day off and she had no plans other than a few errands. She wanted to visit Kakashi again, but she needed a good excuse. Or did she? What the hell, she could just go up to him and ask him out directly. Worse he could do was say no and she'd probably never see him again. So with that thought she headed toward his abode.

'_It's only been a couple of days since he left the hospital. Maybe he needs more time to recover. Maybe I should leave him alone for a while,'_ she argued with herself, but her feet kept on walking toward Kakashi's place. _'Maybe he's not home...'_

A small part of her wished he wasn't home so that she would have an excuse not to confront him. Why was she doing this? Was she really in love with him? She wasn't an adolescent with a crush. She didn't believe in love at first sight or undying love. And what did she actually know about him? Still she felt that she did know him, better than anyone else. So with that thought, she rang the doorbell.

Kakashi answered the door quickly this time. Without a word of greeting he said, "I'm sorry, I'm on the way out. Got a mission."

"A mission already? Your recovery is more important! Are you sure you'll be okay?" Kaori asked with a frown.

"Thanks for your concern…" he almost said mom again, "but I'll be fine. Seems that Konoha is accepting every mission that comes along to prove we still have the manpower. Sigh, turns out Tsunade-sama is a real slave driver. So…uh…what can I do for you?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Nothing at all. I was just in the neighborhood. But since you're busy…maybe when you get back…maybe we can go out to dinner for some real food... when your system's back to normal…"

'_How cute, she's trying to ask me out.'_ He appraised the brave young woman in front of him. Kaori was out of uniform and dressed in normal clothes - an understated but flattering light blue dress (green was more her color but she resolved never to wear green again) with dark blue trim and cap sleeves, and high heel black sandals. She had dressed more formally because of the ceremony. Her hair was loose and settled nicely on her shoulders, without a stray strand anywhere. A vision of loveliness. A sad longing stirred within the veteran shinobi, but he automatically said in his disinterested way, "Er, maybe, gotta go, bye." He closed his door and ran off, leaving poor Kaori feeling embarrassed and confused again.

Kaori had never had a problem getting a guy she was interested in, albeit there really weren't many, so she was not happy with Kakashi's ambiguous attitude. He did not exactly agree to go out with her, but he didn't say no either. He seemed genuinely grateful to her and she had made it quite clear that she was interested, so there were only a few reasons she could think of as to why he did not take the bait. He obviously had no one special in his life so either:

1) He was not interested in women. (No way!)

2) She was not his type. (So what was his type? Did she need bigger boobs?)

3) He was not in a position to be involved with someone. (Was he really too busy with the backlog in missions?)

4) He had some type of sexual dysfunction. (How tragic! But there was nothing in the medical records indicating that.)

5) He was a confirmed bachelor. (Psych problems?)

She sighed and spent the rest of her day running her usual boring errands, wondering when Kakashi would be back from his mission and why she was chasing after him. She knew men could be really dense. Unless you spelled it out for them, they wouldn't or couldn't comprehend a woman's feelings. With that thought, Kaori felt encouraged, that it was not because he did not want her, but because he was an idiot like most men.

At their semi-monthly dinner her family pressed her again about the mysterious man in her life. While serving the chicken curry over rice, her mother accused, "I really think you're making him up just to shut us up, so we won't fix you up with someone else. If you don't bring him around soon, we're going to assume it's all a lie and you'll have to go on a series of blind dates with no objections. That Gai-sensei was a good catch…"

This time Kaori replied, "Oh, you will be meeting him very soon. He's on a mission now but next time we have dinner together…"

"Really? At our next family dinner we'll get to meet him? I'll have to cook something extra special. Can you at least tell us his name? If he's on a mission he must be a shinobi…"

"Just be patient. He…likes his privacy so I shouldn't say anything until…"

"Ten to one no one shows up," said Kaori's bitchy sister-in-law.

"He'll show up!" Kaori said defensively, but inside she had a sinking feeling that things would not be so simple.

-...-...-...-

Lee's operation was scheduled for the next morning. Tsunade spent the early part of it prepping the medics and nurses who would be assisting her. She looked over at the assembled team with approval. They seemed competent enough, but they were all fairly young without her many years of experience. Still, she was the one performing the operation and they were only present for her to borrow their chakra if necessary and to stabilize the patient. Luckily Shizune was there and she could always count on her.

Lee was placed under general anesthesia. The complicated operation could take several hours, well past lunch time. The many bone fragments had to be converted to harmless material easily assimilated by the body, while the bones of the left arm and leg had to be regenerated. There was little room for error since if even a small fragment remained, it could block a blood vessel, causing instant death.

Tsunade's long blonde hair was tucked underneath a medic's cap, causing her to perspire more than what the stress normally would have caused. It had been a very long time since she had had to perform an operation of this complexity. Could she still do it? But she could not allow her confidence to waver. She had to save this boy. This odd boy in green who, like the loud one in orange, represented the spirit and future of Konoha.

Lee lay face down on the gurney with his back exposed. Tsunade performed a series of seals and then placed her hands hovering over the upper part of the thoracic vertebrae, slowly moving up and down his spine, repeatedly, again and again, for hours, until the emanations given off by her chakra indicated that there were no more bone fragments. By the time this first part of the operation was complete, Tsunade's arms were almost numb, and even her great reserve of chakra ebbed low.

She took a short break as the medics positioned the boy's left arm and leg for the next stage of the operation. Although this part was technically less hazardous, it was just as risky because of Tsunade's fatigue. Now she had to borrow chakra from Shizune and the other medics. They stood in a ring around Lee, each touching a part of his body with one hand and holding hands with the other. They infused Lee's body with chakra while Tsunade re-channeled it into her own.

The medics were impressed not only with Tsunade's ability, but also because her hands were so steady despite being an alcoholic. Luckily, Lee was an orphan with no relatives to file a malpractice suit should the operation fail.

After what seemed like a tense eternity, Tsunade finally sighed and nodded, signaling the medics that she was done. She then happily announced to the room, with a rare genuine smile, "The operation is a complete success!"

The participants all clapped, cheered, and heaped mounds of praise on their new hokage. Then Kaori was given the privilege of telling Gai the good news while the rest of the group cleaned up and handled post-op monitoring. It was not so much that they thought Kaori and Gai were a couple and it would be best coming from her, but because nobody wanted to be on the receiving end of Gai's reaction once he was informed of the good news. So poor naïve Kaori, oblivious of the staff's true reasons, exited the OR.

Gai had been waiting all day in the waiting area just outside the OR. Kaori found him nervously pacing the floor and ceiling. He stopped and ran up to her as soon as she appeared. "Lee?! How's Lee?!"

Kaori tried to keep her face as neutral as possible, but she couldn't help but break out into a smile when she announced, "Lee's operation is a complete success! He's fine. He should be out of the OR in a little while…"

Gai immediately grabbed Kaori in a tight bear hug and spun her around and around and around until she felt her stomach lurch. "Isn't it wonderful! Now the three of us can be a real family, together!"

_'Family?! I already have one crazy family! That's it, no more of this!' _

"Put me down, please!" ordered Kaori. When Gai finally complied she straightened out her uniform, took a deep breath to recover and said, "Er, yes it is wonderful. You really should go thank Shizune-san. She's been very supportive of Lee and she was Tsunade's primary assistant during the operation…"

"Shizune? Yes she's been very helpful and quite affable, indeed…"

"In fact, I think the two of you have a lot in common…"

"You know you are the only one for me!" Gai protested, suddenly suspicious of Kaori's intentions.

"Er, well, about that…you see…I…uh… really meant to tell you earlier, but…umm… with Lee's condition…" Kaori stammered. _'I need to tell him the truth. I need to make it absolutely clear..._' Kaori finally blurted out, "I'm in love with Kakashi!"

"What? What?! WHAT?!" NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Gai grabbed his head with both hands and let out a scream that came from the depths of his soul.

Somewhere in Otafuku Village, over five miles away, a distant cry of anguish was heard reverberating throughout the mountains, lasting for nearly a minute.

-...-...-...-

_Author's Notes: If you haven't read my ramen girl stories, please do before the next chapter since I integrate some elements from there._


	17. Challenges

_Author's Notes: Beginning quote (morning mantra) is from comedian Al Franken as Stuart Smalley on Saturday Night Live (from a long time ago)._

_I'm not sure if ffnet's email alert system is working, so if you leave a review, please leave let me know._

-…-…-…-

_**Challenges**_

'_I'm good enough. I'm smart enough. And dog-gone it - people like me!' _Gai repeated his morning mantra over and over to himself in the mirror. It was an old habit that originated from the time he was a genin and picked up a self-help book. The book "Why I'm Better Than I Think I Am" had given him confidence and changed his life.

He repeated his mantra for longer than usual as he had barely recovered from yesterday's emotional roller coaster - first elation that Lee would be able to stay a ninja, then desolation when his destined one claimed she was in love with his eternal rival. Why did fate always conspire against him? First Rin and now Kaori (not to mention dozens of others).

Kakashi had only just recovered from his coma - how could Kaori possibly be in love with him? No doubt Kakashi had cast some sort of genjutsu. That would explain it. Why else would a woman prefer someone as lazy and perverted as that to someone as vibrant and chivalrous as himself?

Gai then realized that it was a test - a test to prove himself worthy of the fair Kaori, which meant he had to challenge Kakashi to a duel of honor, or rather several duels, until Gai won the greater majority.

-...-...-...-

Kakashi was just minding his own business as usual, heading home after a solo mission resolving a kidnapping case (where he used his sharingan to hypnotize all the witnesses), when all of a sudden he heard Gai's irate voice.

"You! You! Hatake Kakashi! Eternal rival. Sharingan shammer. Revolutionary man. Genjutsu jester. Thorn in my sandal. You have just made the biggest mistake of your life!"

"Huh?" was all Kakashi had to say to the odd man in green.

"Don't even try to deny it! I know you purposely did it just to have your revenge!"

"Revenge?"

"For my record of 53 wins versus your 52. You thought you could surpass me by resorting to something so underhanded. Never! I'll never let you!"

"Sigh, look, I'm kind of tired right now. Can't this wait till tomorrow?" Actually, Kakashi expected to be away again tomorrow.

"No! It's unforgivable! This must be resolved right here, right now! Name your challenge!" Gai pointed furiously at his rival.

"Sigh, fine, let's get this over with. Hmm…thumb war?" Kakashi yawned disinterestedly.

"No. Did that."

"Odd or even?"

"No. Did that."

"Rock, paper, scissors?"

"No! Did that!"

"You said name the challenge."

"A new challenge!" Gai astutely did not want the same challenge as one he had lost in the past.

"Sigh, let's see…" After having endured over a hundred challenges, most of them different, Kakashi had to think really, really hard to come up with a new one, especially one that would require minimal effort on his part. Of course Kakashi had no clue what Gai was talking about, that he had stolen Kaori away, but that was nothing new. He always played along with Gai's insane rants.

"Umm…hopscotch?" Kakashi finally suggested.

"Something as simple as that?" said Gai with furrowed super-brows.

"It's a test of balance, aim and accuracy," Kakashi patiently explained.

"I see…yes! Hopscotch! I was an expert in my younger days. There's no way I'll lose to you!"

"Fine, you draw the boxes," Kakashi said lazily as he leaned on a tree to watch_. 'I thought only girls played hopscotch,' _he added to himself.

"Chalk…I need chalk," Gai fumbled in his vest pockets but came up empty. Afraid that his rival would just walk away, he bit his right index finger with his perfectly straight sharp teeth and drew the boxes with his own blood.

They used a shuriken as the game piece to throw onto the boxes. No chakra was allowed to jump and hop in or over the boxes, not that two grown men needed to. It was a ridiculously easy and silly game, but Gai played it seriously all in the name of love. Kakashi had planned to throw the game once they got toward the end, hoping to get some peace and quiet. He couldn't care less about winning.

But then, when Gai reached for the shuriken in the number nine box, something happened. He was balanced on his right leg on the number eight box and was about to grab the shuriken when a large dragonfly flew at him. He used his hands to shoo it away but it persisted so he tried to catch it. It must have been a special summoned insect as it somehow avoided Gai's clutch. He then lost his balance slightly and touched the ground with his still bloody right hand. He ended up accidentally summoning a tortoise that took up the entire box. His hand slipped and touched the box border. He lost instantly.

"Well, that's it for today," Kakashi remarked coolly and continued on his way home.

"No! How could this have happened?" Gai looked at the poor tortoise accusingly.

"Hey, you tell me. You must have made the seals and sacrificed the blood. If you don't need me, I've got better things to do." The tortoise yawned, shrunk back into his shell and disappeared with a puff of smoke.

"Seals?" Gai thought hard. He finally realized that in trying to get rid of the dragonfly, he must have performed the summoning seals.

"AAARRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!"

Somewhere in Otafuku Village…

-…-…-…-

Before Kaori blurted out the words, she had refused to admit to herself that she was really in love with Kakashi. She hadn't meant to break up with Gai in quite that way (not that there was ever a relationship to break up), so she felt terribly guilty (though very relieved) afterwards. She decided she needed some distance from both men. She realized that she was becoming too much like Gai by practically stalking Kakashi, so she made no other moves. After all, the ball was now in his court and it was his turn to put it into play.

Nearly two weeks passed without any word from, or any sign of, her former prince, or her former stalker. The lack of attention left her disgruntled and depressed. Kaori told herself over and over it was because Kakashi was too busy due to the backlog in missions and she wasn't going to humiliate herself further by running after him.

But now Kaori was getting desperate. Dinner with her family was just a couple of days away and Kakashi had not contacted her at all. How was she going to face them? She could lie and say they broke up, but then they'd know there was no one in the first place. And there was no way she'd give her bitchy sister-in-law the satisfaction.

Otoha noticed her superior spacing out, which could only mean one thing: she was thinking of a guy, and the guy had to be Kakashi. She decided to cook up a juicy rumor.

"Hey, guess what I heard. Rumor has it that the Ichiraku ramen waitress saw Kakashi-sensei's face. The poor girl immediately fell in love with him and that's why the service and ramen quality has declined. I hear they're going out now." The first part of the statement was true, but the latter, made-up part, nearly sent Kaori spinning.

Kaori was livid. How could an uneducated nobody like that attract Kakashi? The girl was pretty enough, had a decent figure, but she had to smell like fermented bean curd! And wasn't she a bit too young and immature for him? What could they possibly have in common? Kaori had to find out the details, but she was afraid to question Otoha. After all, she was not a lovesick desperate teenager. Instead, Kaori pretended she was not interested at all.

But Otoha could tell from Kaori's red face and even redder ears that she was very upset. That delighted the buxom brunette to no end, so she just had to say, "Ah, too bad about Kakashi. I was going to jump him myself, but I've been too preoccupied with your ex-boyfriend."

Kaori shrugged and said coldly, "I don't mind you having my leftovers."

"I think you made a mistake there. Houshou's really something. Not as intriguing as Kakashi, of course, so when I'm done with him, maybe Kakashi will be done with the ramen girl. Sorry, Kaori, you'll have to wait your turn." Otoha punctuated that with hysterical evil laughter.

Kaori bit her lip part in anger at Otoha's teasing and part in sorrow at Kakashi's betrayal. After all, it was a betrayal. She was the one who watched over him for months. She was the one who embarrassed herself by reading those smut books. She sacrificed the book jackets of her favorite books to hide the Icha Icha covers. What did that ramen girl do for him? Stuff him with over priced starches? It just wasn't fair. Why didn't Kakashi ask her out instead of the ramen girl? She was not going to let either of them get away with it. The lovelorn nurse tried hard to keep from crying and it was only because of her rival's unwanted presence that she succeeded. She would not give Otoha the satisfaction.

Then Kaori maturely reminded herself that Kakashi was never hers to begin with, so she really couldn't fault either him or the ramen girl. Still, someone had to pay for her bad mood, so she turned to Otoha and said, "Hope you didn't have any plans for the weekend. We're going to need you to work over time. It's time for a full inventory since the annual audit is coming up."

"Audit? That's not for another month!"

"We had some problems with missing narcotics last year, so now that I'm in charge of supplies, I think we should get an early start."

Otoha gave her superior a murderous look and swore revenge beneath her breath.

-…-…-…-

Kakashi had had a strange couple of weeks since his awakening. First there was that cute little nurse who kept dropping by. Then there was Gai's absurd constant challenges.

His life was complicated enough right now with the many missions and his concern over not being there for his genin team. He really did not need any more complications like having a clingy woman around. To his relief, and regret, the nurse stopped stalking him. He hadn't seen her since inauguration day. Though he missed the free food, he told himself it was for the best.

But for some reason, Gai continued to challenge him every time they crossed paths. Luckily, Kakashi's missions kept him busy and often away from Konoha. But it was getting to be too much - Gai began to call him out in the middle of the night with new ideas for challenges. He had tolerated Gai's challenges in the past as it helped him set benchmarks for his skills every quarter or so, but now it was just ridiculously annoying. Kakashi had tried to let Gai win as often as possibly, but somehow the record stayed fairly even. That apparently was no longer good enough for Gai, who now insisted that he must have a two-thirds majority of victories.

It took Kakashi a while to figure out the reason for the sudden increase in challenges, since much of Gai's normal way of speaking was nearly indecipherable: "You subverted my destiny…You interfered with fate's hand… You've provoked providence…"

Kakashi was finally able to glean that it had to do with a woman. Nothing new, he was used to men cursing him out for supposedly stealing their women when he had done nothing to encourage them at all.

Now at three in the morning, just hours after his return from another mission, Kakashi heard a voice right outside his third-floor window. "You destiny defiler! You genjutsu-ed your way into her heart. A flower of such pulchritude cannot be plucked by one as sullied as you…"

Finally, Kakashi asked his rival, "Look, you're already ahead 69 to 65 now. Can't we go back to quarterly challenges? Don't you think 30 challenges in two weeks is a bit much?"

"I must prove that I am the better man!" Gai said as he hung upside down outside of Kakashi's window.

"If you want I'll sign an affidavit."

"No! It must be proved legitimately or the fair Kaori will not be convinced."

"Kaori?"

"The nurse! Can't you remember anyone's name?"

"Oh. I don't know what's going on between you two, but I don't have anything to do with her. In fact I haven't seen her in weeks."

"How despicable! She gave you her heart and you stomped all over it!"

"It's really none of your business, but I'm not involved with anyone right now…"

"Hah! On to your next conquest? You are lower than slug slime! Name your challenge…"

-…-…-…-…-

_'All men are ungrateful dogs!'_ Kaori angrily muttered to herself. '_I thought he was different, but he's just like the others - chasing whatever tail wags before him! How could he? Bastard! But this came from Otoha. Maybe it's not true. Maybe she's just out to get me. Maybe I should ask him directly...'_

During her walk home, Kaori's thoughts swung back and forth from endowing Kakashi with the vilest character to canonizing him as a saint. Just when Kaori was about to either give up on Kakashi, or start stalking him again, he appeared by her door. She instinctively wondered how he knew where she lived and how he suddenly appeared. Kakashi, with his sharingan, had actually deduced her movements as she walked home. He ran ahead of her and waited for an opportune movement to magically appear next to her to look extra cool.

"Let me get that for you," he said gallantly as he concentrated his chakra to his hand and somehow opened the locked door as she fumbled for her keys.

His presence took her by complete surprise so all Kaori could do was stammer, "Th…thank you." But then she recovered and quickly invited him in. _'He's finally come to see me! I knew those ramen girl rumors were lies! Otoha, that bitch!'_

As the door closed behind them, Kakashi got directly to the point. "I need you to do me a favor…please." He said it nonchalantly but there was a hint of urgency in the "please."

"If I can," Kaori said cautiously. Even though it was Kakashi, she was instinctively wary of doing favors. But her heart cried out, _'Anything! Anything at all! Whom do I have to kill? Ha, ha, you're really here to ask me out. Cute that you'd consider it a favor...'_

"You have to get Gai to stop challenging me. I don't know what's going on between the two of you, but..."

"There's nothing going on between us! He's crazy!" Kaori protested, fearful that Kakashi had the wrong idea.

"Wait, let me explain," Kakashi continued, "We used to have these challenges a few times a year. No big deal. It makes him happy and keeps him off my back the rest of the time. But now, he challenges me every time he sees me and recently he's been tracking me down during missions."

_'Kill Gai? Is that what you want me to do? No problem! No, wait, yes problem_…_This is not a date request?_' Kaori said nothing for a minute, trying to understand exactly what was going on. "I'm sorry, I have no control over Gai sensei," she finally replied, a bit coolly, miffed that Kakashi was not there to ask her out.

"Sigh, as I understand it, for some reason, he thinks we're involved. If you'd just set him straight…" Kakashi said, oblivious of the crushed look on Kaori's face.

"Sorry, there's nothing I can do," Kaori said coldly, thinking how it was all his fault she would have to suffer humiliation from her family.

"If you can think of anything..." he persisted, leaning in closer to her.

Kaori then had a flash of brilliance. "Hmm...okay...I'll try… but in return you have to go out on three dates with me."

"Three dates? How about one?" He did not seem to be excited by the prospect. _'And who's paying?'_ he wondered.

Kaori frowned. It seemed he was not interested in going out with her at all. "Three dates, all my choice, you pay, or else say hello to your new roommate Gai!"

_'So Kakashi expects me to help him out while he's making time with the ramen girl! I'm not letting any guy use me or push me around. Not even Kakashi!' _Kaori stubbornly resolved.

What could poor Kakashi say to that? The thought of prospective roommate Gai would have made him walk through the esophagus of a gigantic rock frog from the Myouboku Mountains. "Right, three dates," he agreed with a sigh.

-…-…-…-

_Author's Notes: I wrote a thumbs war challenge (see "Waiting and Wishing" in "Excerpts from Kakashi's Diary") and an odd vs even challenge (see "Kakashi's Stolen Sharingan") already, so I'm just writing the one Hopscotch challenge for this story. _


	18. First Date

_Author's Notes: Many stories have Kakashi either humping every man, woman, boy, girl, in sight or living as a monk. I like to take a more normal middle ground. He's experienced but not a rutting dog! Also, I have nothing against yaoi, yuri, bestiality, May-December relationships, etc. as long as all participants are consenting adults and no animals were harmed in the process._

_**First Date**_

Kakashi had reluctantly agreed to Kaori's terms – three dates. Kaori informed him that they would first have dinner the next day to get to know each other, or rather it would be a crash course on their "relationship" before Kakashi met her family that weekend. The third date she would save for later.

But first things first. Kaori had promised Kakashi that she would get rid of Gai. She really wasn't sure how to get rid of him, but she decided the direct approach was best. It was something she should have done a long time ago, if it weren't for her cowardice.

In her past relationships, when she was no longer interested in the guy, she would become silent and pensive until he asked her what was wrong. That easily opened a door for her to say this relationship isn't working out, or it's what I expected, or wanted, or some other excuse. But she didn't actually have a relationship with Gai and it seemed he would be oblivious to her moods. The direct approach of telling him she was in love with Kakashi did not exactly work either. Gai apparently thought he still had a chance. This time she would have to take a direct, but different approach.

Though was already late, Kaori took a chance and went out to look for him. Lee was no longer staying at the hospital, but it usually wasn't too difficult to track down either one of them. They were most likely in one of the outdoor or indoor training areas. She found Gai surprisingly by himself in the training area with the wooden dummies. It could have been difficult to differentiate which was the live one, but the wooden ones were brown, not green.

When Gai saw Kaori approach, to her surprise, instead of running up to her, he threw his arms over his face and declared, "I am not yet worthy to face you! I have yet to handily defeat my eternal rival."

"Er…yes…about that…can you please stop challenging Kakashi-sensei."

"Why? Are you two no longer an item?"

The dangerous spark of hope in Gai's eyes forced Kaori to say, "We are but…"

The light dimmed.

"I never meant to lead you on, but… you should find someone more appreciative of your..."

"Never! There's no one else but you. You are the woman of my destiny. Kakashi is just a bump in the road of true love. You have just been temporarily blinded. True love must be tested…"

'_Sigh, this is not working. Okay, attempt number two…'_ She tried again, "I'm sorry, but I'm just not attracted to you…"

"What do you mean?" The sudden pathetic look in his eyes stopped Kaori from saying more.

"I'm sorry...it's not you it's me…" She now tried the usual break up approach, which she had originally planned to use before she accidentally blurted out her feelings for Kakashi, but after Gai's meltdown, there was nothing else she could say at the time.

'_Of course it's not me. I'm perfect. There's definitely something wrong with her!' _Gai waited for Kaori to explain herself.

"It's just that… well…I'm not really in love with Kakashi…I just said that as an excuse. The truth is…" Kaori thought frantically for another excuse. "I'm gay and I'm involved with my coworker Otoha!"

"What? What?! WHAT?!" Gai grabbed his head with both hands and let a piercing scream even longer and louder than before, "NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" How could it be that another woman he pursued was gay?

Kaori did not mean to let loose such an atrocious lie, but there was just something about Gai that drove her to desperation. It seemed he would never let her go if he believed she preferred his rival or any other man. She hadn't meant to involve Otoha, but at the last moment she decided if her reputation was going to be destroyed, she may as well take down her rival, too. And she figured no one, but Gai, would really believe Otoha was a lesbian, so it was likely that they wouldn't believe Kaori was either. Now if it got back to Otoha, Kaori could just say Gai was mistaken. It was getting to be a very complicated mess.

But it worked!

-…-…-…-…-

"So we're going to get some tonight!" The Obito voice proclaimed happily to the Kakashi in the mirror who was trying to (not) fix his hair before his so-called date.

"There's no 'we' and it's not even a date. It's blackmail," Kakashi replied, satisfied that his hair stood up just at the right angle.

"Ha-ha! She got you good."

"Well, it seems she kept her end of the deal. No sign of Gai all day."

"She's pretty bright, not like some of those bimbos you've been with. And she's nice, not like some of those kunoichi you've been with. Bed time should be interesting…"

"No bed time, just dinner," Kakashi insisted.

"…and the nurse's outfit is every guy's fantasy…"

"I'm not going to have her cosplay for you!"

"You are no fun at all! I wonder if she knows certain medical jutsu…"

-…-…-…-

Otoha suspiciously called in sick the next day so Kaori was lucky she did not have to face her fake paramour. There was no sign of Gai either, so Kaori was free to relax, or rather to obsess over what she was doing with Kakashi. She was, in essence, blackmailing a man to go out with her. How could she have fallen so low? But it was a fair exchange for having to deal with Gai and possibly having her reputation ruined. She just hoped Kakashi could withstand her family's scrutiny. She knew they would be asking him all sorts of questions to ensure that they were having a genuine relationship, and that she did not just grab any available guy to pretend he was her boyfriend just so they'd leave her love life alone. Problem was, Kaori was supposed to have been seeing Kakashi for months, not days. And somebody in her family was likely to know that Konoha's copy-nin had been in a coma. How could she reconcile all that? How could such an upstanding citizen like herself weave a web of so many lies that she'd trapped herself?

Kaori spent the day brooding over her problems. Then she waited for Kakashi to pick her up at the hospital after his mission, and waited and waited.

Over an hour after her normal work hours, he showed up saying, "Sorry, I'm late but…"

Kaori didn't give him a chance to finish. "It's fine, I know you're busy with your mission," she said good naturedly. She accepted his lateness as part of the erratic schedule of a shinobi. She didn't realize he had spent the last hour arguing with his long dead best friend and playing with his own hair.

Kakashi happily reported that he had not seen Gai all day. But when he asked how she got rid of him, Kaori said evasively, "I just told him I'm not interested in being involved with any _man_ at the moment and that you and I are just acquaintances." Then she quickly added, "But remember, he can pick up right where he left off if he thinks I've changed my mind." It was a not so subtle threat in case Kakashi thought of reneging on their dates.

Kakashi followed Kaori as she took him around to several places to pick up takeout. He walked a bit behind her so she could not hold his arm and so it would not appear to anyone that they were actually dating. To the casual observer, he looked like her errand boy.

"We're going to pick up my favorite foods at my favorite places - remember them when you meet my family." They first went to Ichiraku where Kaori wanted to show off Kakashi to the ramen girl. She ordered two House Specials and gave Kakashi a look that indicated he should pay and carry the bag. The poor ramen girl looked rather sad, but Kakashi paid her no mind at all. Kaori began to wonder how much of what Otoha told her was true.

Next stop was the dumpling house where Kaori ordered a half dozen steamed pork and cabbage dumplings and a half dozen pan fried pork and chives dumplings. Then the sushi bar where Kaori ordered an assortment of sashimi and sushi rolls.

'_I can't believe how much she eats! At least she didn't order the most expensive ones,_' Kakashi noted to himself.

_'Tell her to get the octopus, that's supposed to be an aphrodisiac!'_ suggested the Obito voice, which Kakashi pointedly ignored.

Final stop was the desert shop where Kaori ordered two bowls of tapioca custard and a box with an assortment of mochi ice cream. Her date's brow furrowed at his emptying wallet, but consoled himself that the next date was dinner at her parents where he didn't have to pay for anything.

They walked in silence back to Kaori's apartment, with Kakashi mentally calculating how much money he just spent, and Kaori calculating what she should do next. When they entered her place, instead of eating immediately, Kaori put the food aside and said officiously, "Now down to business…"

Business was Kaori explaining to Kakashi about her family and what he had to do to impress them. "You see, it's like this… My parents have been trying to marry me off for a while. They've set me up on a number of atrocious blind dates. While you were in a coma, Gai sensei got it into his head that I'm his destined one and he crashed our family dinner. My family actually liked him! So I told them I was already seeing someone. At the time I was thinking of you. I know it's pathetic with you being in a coma, but I was desperate. Anyway, I promised that they'd get to meet you, so tomorrow's doomsday…"

Kakashi suppressed a great urge to laugh. '_This girl's quite interesting._'

But it was strange – she didn't seem like the same woman who had dropped by his home. On those occasions she was nervous, a bit shy, and obviously lovestruck. Nor was she the same sympathetic, compassionate nurse he remembered from the hospital. Now she was cool, direct, and businesslike. It seemed she wasn't interested in sleeping with him at all.

'_She doesn't want us in bed? No way!'_ said the Obito voice in his head.

'_There's no us!'_ Kakashi mentally replied.

"You have a near photographic memory, right? Being a jounin you should be able to remember all this fairly easily. Now my family consists of my parents, my younger sister Sumire, her husband… what's his name… Kazu… Kazuhiko, I think. Well, he's not important. They have three kids – a girl and two boys. Don't worry about their names – I have a hard time keeping all my nieces and nephews straight, too. Then there's my younger brother Akira and his crazy bitchy …Ooops, sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I promised myself I'd be more tolerant…his wife Sadako and their spoiled brat daughter. My mom runs a beauty salon and my sister helps out when she can. My father and brother-in-law are accountants. My brother is a dice dealer and his wife was a hostess, but she's now a homemaker..."

This was something different. Kakashi was used to the women he dated to either be all over him, or obviously playing hard to get. Most of them would ask him questions or talk about themselves, not drilling him on his memory for details. He nodded as Kaori rambled on about her family. '_She's lucky to have such a large family,'_ he thought sadly. '_I wonder what it's like to have siblings that drive you crazy. Well, I guess I have…er, had Obito…'_

"Now my family is bound to ask you certain questions or mention certain events to see if you're good enough for me, or to see if you're really going out with me."

Kaori then got up from the table to retrieve a notebook from her bag. "This is, in essence, my life. Try to memorize it by Sunday night."

"A diary?" he dared to ask.

"Oh, no, I'd never let anyone see something like that. I stayed up last night and worked on it all day at work. I've included everything I can think of that my family might ask you, including some childhood stories, so you can say, 'I remember that Kaori mentioned…' for conversation."

After a few more tips, which Kakashi barely paid attention to, Kaori finally declared, "So that's about it for now. I guess we should have dinner before it gets cold."

The overwrought young woman felt way too tense and now tried to relax into a more normal date mode. It was strange, a couple of days ago she would have been all giddy and excited to be with the man of her dreams. Instead, she just felt annoyed that she had to prep him before meeting her family.

"Umm…don't you think your family knows about me being in a coma for months? You told them we've been seeing each other for a while. How will you explain that?" asked Kakashi curiously, expecting an amusing answer.

"I've thought about that. I'm going to tell them we went out before your coma and I wanted to stay faithful to you despite your condition. I couldn't say too much about our relationship for fear they would convince me to abandon you for someone else," Kaori replied as she went to get the food.

"I see… that's pretty good." Kakashi was impressed. She sure didn't seem like the lying manipulative type when he first met her.

"You don't think it's bad of me to lie like that, do you? I really hate lying, really, but I don't know…ever since you and Gai…sigh, I really hate lying but sometimes it's so hard to find another way." Kaori decided to change the topic from lying to something she felt a little less guilty about.

She placed the containers of dumplings and sushi on her small dining table. "I'm sorry I didn't ask whether you liked this stuff or not, but I need you to remember my favorite foods and I forgot about learning yours." She sighed again and sat down across from her date. "Anyway, just so you know, I'm not a crazy stalker or anything, but I have had access to your personnel records since you were my patient," she admitted, "but I need to know more about you, or my family will sense something is up." She waited for Kakashi to reply but he just shrugged.

"So what are your favorite foods?" she prompted.

"I like boiled mackerel and eggplant."

"Boiled mackerel and eggplant? Really? Those dishes are so… boring - I mean simple. Eggplant is so…slimy and it's not really nutritious. It's just bulk food for vegetarians," Kaori criticized.

Kakashi shrugged. "They're simple but easy to make. But I'm not a particularly picky eater. This is good too." Kakashi reached for the chopsticks.

'_How different than Gai. I remember he loved spicy, flavorful food. He put a lot of pepper on that turkey…' _Kaori thoughts were interrupted when she saw Kakashi lower his mask to eat.

She instantly went from her cool efficient mode back to a shy schoolgirl with her eyes widening at the wondrous sight.

-...-...-...-...-

_Author's Notes: It seems I'm always writing dinner scenes for Kakashi. His favorite foods are officially mackerel and eggplant_


	19. Waiting for Mr Goodbar

_Author's Notes: Title is from the play "Waiting for Godot" and the novel/movie "Looking for Mr. Goodbar"_

_**Waiting for Mr. Goodbar**_

'_That face! When was the last time I saw that face? It was when they brought him in…that first day. I've almost forgotten how perfect he looks!' _she thought, but his beautiful visage struck her mute as she watched the man of her dreams reach for a dumpling.

Then some sort of madness came over her. All these months of thinking about him, wanting him, having him so close now, how could she resist? Kaori quickly cleared the table with one swipe of her arm. All the dishes and takeout containers clattered to the floor. For a second Kakashi thought he was about to be attacked and reached for his kunai. But Kaori was already on top of him, pressing her lips to his, unzipping his vest.

She could feel him responding underneath her…

-...-...-...-...-

Kaori shook her self out of her fantastic reverie when she realized Kakashi had asked her a question. "Excuse me?" she replied, still spacing out a bit.

"I'll probably have a mission on Sunday. Tsuande-sama's been working us around the clock, all days of the week. I'll have to meet you at your parents - if that's okay."

"That's fine, just try to be on time. We usually have dinner around 6:30." She went backing to watching his perfectly chiseled jaw move up and down as he chewed his dumpling. '_He eats with his mouth closed – plus five points for that_,' she evaluated.

Kakashi suddenly stopped and looked at her. "Aren't you going to eat too?" he inquired with his mouth full.

She frowned. '_Talking with his mouth full, two point deduction.'_ Kaori had a bad habit of grading her dates. She started with 50 points. Most men dropped down to twenty after just one date. "Actually, I'm not that hungry right now." She'd rather just sit there and watch his every movement.

'_What?! I paid how much for all this food and she's not going to eat? Damn, I'll have to eat as much as I can. Don't want all this to go to waste,_' he griped to himself. "So are you on a diet like every other woman in Konoha?" he asked.

"Diet? Not really. I will have desert later. Don't mind me, dig in."

Kakashi did not like being under a microscope, but he didn't want to waste food either so he continued to stuff himself.

Kaori rested her chin on the palm of her hand, looking dreamily at her date. Her eyes had that glazed look like so many others before her.

'_She's got that look! She still wants you,'_ said the Obito voice.

'_Maybe she's just tired and bored._'

'_Well, you haven't been stimulating her with sparkling conversation. Come on, you can do better than that! You smooth talker, use your Lothario voice.'_

'_Guess I'd rather talk to her than you.'_

'_That's the appreciation I get for helping you. You're the one who gets lucky. All I get to do is watch, and there's been nothing exciting for a long time now.'_

'_That's it. You're out of here for the rest of the night!'_

"Is something wrong?" Kaori asked Kakashi when she saw him make a face.

"Wrong? No, the food's good. I was just eating too fast."

"You should chew your food twenty times before swallowing to ensure it's properly masticated for easy digestion," Kaori lectured.

"Thanks mom."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lecture you. It's just that I'm use to advising people because of my job," Kaori explained while blushing.

"So you like being a nurse?"

"For the most part, yes. I enjoy helping people when I can. But it can be pretty depressing at times. I try not to let it get to me, but…now that Tsunade-sama is back, things will definitely be better." She paused to wait for a response, but Kakashi just nodded. He was thinking how some things were going to be better, but other things were likely to be much worse. He didn't want to worry the pretty little nurse with a depressing political discussion.

"I was once a genin, you know," she continued.

"Oh really?" he said, not that he was surprised, since most of the staff at the shinobi hospital had been at the academy.

"Well, sort of. I graduated from the academy but failed to pass the initiation test. But it all worked out for the best," she smiled to hide her admission of failure.

He nodded thoughtfully. From her statement he gathered that she was relatively honest, but prideful.

She waited for a response but since none was forthcoming, she made an extra effort to break the awkward silence. After all, no matter how much she loved watching him eat, she realized that it probably made him feel uncomfortable. She noted that although the lower half of his face was exposed, his forehead protector still sat at a slant to cover his left eye.

She remembered that eye was the sharingan and her curiosity got the better of her. "Do you mind…can I see your left eye?"

He seemed to consider it seriously for a minute, then he replied, "Only if you'll eat with me," which seemed like a nice invitation, but he just hated seeing his hard earned money go to waste. Kaori smiled and nodded at the invitation, so he lifted his headband to expose his left eye. He opened the eye and blinked a few times before looking at his date.

It almost took her breath away. "It's so… beautiful," she gasped in awe. It was a deep shade of red, which under her ceiling lights, seemed to sparkle like a polished ruby. The three comma shaped dots were not like flaws but like shadows that accentuated the reflections.

But then she thought of what that gem cost him. The price was the life of a friend.She thought of how he saw his friend die on a mission he commanded. Then she thought of the Uchiha clan, massacred by one of its own. She thought of him alone in the hospital with next to zero visitors. She thought of how lonely he must feel and how lonely she felt. These tragic thoughts coupled with the stress she had experienced the past twenty-four sleepless hours, now overwhelmed her. She looked sadly at this man that she wanted so badly, who barely glanced at her all this time, and knew how futile it all was. Tears forced their way through despite her resolve.

"I'm sorry," she sniffled, pathetically blowing her nose in her too small and too thin takeout napkin.

"For what?" asked Kakashi, wondering what was the matter with this woman who was so in control a minute ago._ 'Maybe it's that time of the month.'_

"I'm sorry about your teammate, your family, your friends…I'm sorry about lying to Gai, my family, myself (_though she was not sorry about Otoha). _I'm sorry about blackmailing you. I'm sorry about everything!" she bawled. "Forget about Sunday. I'll just deal with my family on my own."

Kakashi thought about her offer for a minute, but how could he say no to a woman in tears? He then decided, "It's all right. It should be interesting." He gave her a rare genuine smile that sent her heart into overdrive.

The rest of the dinner proceeded fairly typically with both participants mostly eating and commenting on the food. Kaori did not learn much more about Kakashi but he did discuss his genin team. He was definitely proud of them and seemed quite fond of them even when he criticized Naruto for his foolishness, Sakura for her lack of skills, and Sasuke for his arrogance.

The evening ended with Kakashi asking if she was really going to eat all those leftovers. Since Kakashi did pay for all the food, Kaori agreed to split the leftovers with him, but she couldn't help but deduct another couple of points from his score. He ended up with fifty points, same as what he started with, which was much better than all the other men she dated, but only because Kaori gave him extra, extra bonus points for his perfect looks.

-…-…-…-

Sunday night came all too soon. Since dinner with Kakashi, Kaori thought a lot about what to wear to her family dinner. Last time she saw Kakashi, she was in her nurse's uniform and she wanted to impress him this time, but she couldn't look like she was trying to impress him, or her family would be suspicious. She decided on wearing her hair down, but with barrettes at the side so that she wouldn't be accidentally eating her hair; one and a half inch heel tan sandals, since any high than that was too skanky; simple silver, not too dangly, earrings with a matching silver pendant in the shape of Konoha's leaf symbol; and a silver charm bracelet, which would look more casual than formal, with charms in the shape of the symbols of all the countries.

The dress took extra consideration: a dress, rather than a skirt and blouse, since a blouse could become untucked from the skirt; a knee length dress when standing, which would ride up a few more inches when sitting, to expose her shapely thigh. It couldn't be a new dress, but it had to be a nice one, not too conservative nor sexy, and not green. It had to be perfect. She finally decided on a rose pink dress with a subtle weave pattern, and edges embroidered with burgundy thread. It had mid length sleeves and a boat collar, showing off her collarbone and neck, but nothing below that. Of course, she changed her mind about a hundred times before she finally got dressed, and her usually neat bedroom looked as if it had been burglarized by a particularly messy intruder.

Kaori arrived just before 6:30 to avoid any long interrogation from her family. But as soon as she stepped foot across the threshold, her mother grabbed her, looked behind her, and asked, "So where's your date? You promised!"

"He'll be here," Kaori said while extricating herself from her mother's grip. "He may be late since he's on a mission today."

"Right," mocked her bitchy sister-in-law. "There's always next time, and the time after that and the…"

"He'll be here!" Kaori insisted. She glared at her nemesis, who was allowing her bratty toddler to play with her milk bottle on top of the coffee table. It looked as if she was playing tic-tac-toe.

"Unless he gets killed," Kaori's brother laughed.

"Don't say things like that! It's bad luck!" What if something really did happen to him? The thought horrified Kaori in more ways than one.

"Sorry, I was just kidding. I'm sure your date will be here."

But 6:30 came and went, and there was no sign of Kakashi. Her sister's and brother's families had all arrived before Kaori in anticipation of the special guest. Kaori's mother and sister had already set the table and all the food was ready. Now most of them sat waiting in the living room. The men grumbled about being hungry but the women all insisted on waiting for the special guest.

"So who is this guy?" her sister Sumire asked after a while. She held the baby in her arms while her other two children sat by her feet drawing pictures with crayons

"You'll see," Kaori replied evasively.

"Just tell us!" Sadako thought that Kaori must have hired someone to stand in as her date.

"Tell us! Tell us! Tell us!" Her entire family, including the kids who could barely form words, chanted it over and over.

"It's…umm…Hatake Kakashi," Kaori finally admitted, folding under pressure.

"Really? Konoha's copy-nin with the sharingan?" Her father was seriously impressed. '_He should have more money than Gai sensei!'_

"I can't believe it! The perpetually masked shinobi? Have you seen his face?" asked her bitchy sister-in-law jealously.

"Hatake Kakashi...he's the one who tried to write off 'Icha Icha' books as a work related expense on his taxes!" complained Kaori's brother-in-law, what's-his-name.

"He's like Konoha's number one bachelor," mused Sumire.

Her family started discussing all they knew about Kakashi amongst themselves, now ignoring Kaori - to her great relief.

"I heard he was the youngest ever to graduate from the academy – even younger than the legendary sannin!"

"I heard he was the youngest ever to be promoted to chuunin - even younger than the legendary sannin!"

"I heard he stood up to Orochimaru by himself!"

"I heard he had two genin in the last chunnin exam final – more than the other genin teams!"

They were all impressed until…

"Wait a second - wasn't he in a coma for months? How could Kaori be dating him for so long?" asked the bitch.

But Kaori was prepared for that. "We were dating before he was attacked. I just didn't want to discuss it with all of you. It was too distressing."

"Poor dear, no wonder you didn't want to talk about it. So faithful," said Kaori's mother but then her attitude changed upon consideration. "What if he never recovered? You'd be waiting forever you know. I can understand a wife or fiancé waiting for her loved one to return, but you should have played the field while he was out. Always good to have someone as backup." Kaori's mom was always practical when it came to relationships.

The initial excitement died down as they continued to wait. Kaori smartly refused to answer any questions until her date arrived, in case her answers didn't match Kakashi's.

An hour later, the children were whining to be fed. The baby got his milk but the older children wanted real food. The adults tried to hold them off for a while longer, but soon they gave in to the constant whining and crying.

Just when they were all about to sit down to the reheated dinner, the doorbell rang.

-...-...-...-

_Author's Notes: It might be a while before the next update since my computer crashed again! And I've been busy at work and tax time is looming. But I will definitely finish this story._


	20. Kakashi and the Kuchiki Family

-...-...-

**Kakashi and the Kuchiki Family**

_Excerpts from Kaori's Notes:_

_Father: Address him as Kuchiki-sama - he likes those younger than he to be respectful. He's a bit old fashioned but not terribly strict. He likes his job as Vice-President of Konoha's Fidelity Trust accounting firm. His main goal in life is to retire with 100 million ryou in the bank, liquid. Pretend to be interested in his job. He loves it when someone's actually interested in debits and credits and high finance, especially new investment opportunities._

_Mother: Address her as Hana-san since she likes to be more familiar. She's got rather strange but practical views on life and relationships. She runs a beauty salon. Her number one goal is to see me married no matter what, even if it's to a 90 year old monk! She's energetic and proud of looking younger than her age. Compliment her cooking and how young she looks._

_Younger Sister: Address her as Sumire-san. She's married and has three children. She's normally very nice but not when she's overtired from the kids. Her husband works with my father and they get along well since he's pretty quiet and submissive. Her main goal in life is just to have a happy healthy family and somehow find time for herself. She used to help out at the salon but now that she has three kids she's been too busy. She and her husband are suckers for people who play with their kids. _

_Younger Brother: Address him as Akira-san. He's married to Sadako and has one child, a tyrannical little brat. My brother used to be a standup guy willing to go out of the way to help others, but ever since he's been with her, he's been a lot more selfish. The less said about his wife the better. They love compliments on their brat. Their main goal is to be better, more successful, more happy than everyone else…_

_Things to remember about "us": We met at the hospital when Sasuke was hospitalized after you sealed Orochimaru's curse. Then we met again when Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura where hospitalized after their fight with Gaara of the Desert. We went out a total of three times before you were hospitalized. _

_First date you asked me out to dinner. We went to Kami's Tea House. I had the chicken bento, regular, with soup and salad and you had the beef teriyaki deluxe._

_Second date we went to see "The Adventures of Princess Fuun" running time from 6:00pm to 8:15pm, after which we picked up two House Special ramen from Ichiraku. During the movie we had popcorn with light butter and I had a diet soda and you had a regular soda._

_Things I like: Reading, especially tragic romances. _

_Food: House Special ramen, steamed pork and cabbage dumplings, pan fried pork and chives dumplings, warm tapioca custard, mochi ice cream. _

_Things I don't like: Ignorant, idle idiots like my some of my coworkers! And sister-in-law! Noisy people. The color green (but this is just recently)_

_Food: Stuff with vinegar like pickled vegetables, tomato sauce, lemon sauce, sour stuff in general. _

_Other Notes: __Remember to bring some fruit or desert or something to dinner since that sort of custom is very important to my family._

Kakashi read none of it. The notebook lay on his dining table untouched.

"Don't you think you should start reading that book?" asked the Obito voice two hours before dinner with Kaori's family.

"I'm just going to wing it. It shouldn't be too hard to get along with everyone. Besides, it'll be more interesting this way," replied Kakashi as he did his best not to prepare for his date.

He had finished his mission early but, as usual, was in no rush for his second date with Kaori. He knew dinner was never ready by the appointed time. The table had to be set; the food had to cool down; and there was always small talk to engage in. Instead, he decided to rest up a bit before leaving.

Unfortunately, he fell asleep and did not set his alarm clock. After a couple of hours of light sleep, where he never quite reached deep sleep mode, he woke up abruptly – an internal sensor finally woke him. It was already an hour past, so he rushed out the door without checking his appearance. Almost there, he slowed down to his usual saunter. He did not like to look like he was in a hurry. A slow paced suited his cool persona.

The house was a medium size house with two stories and a small backyard for gardening. He estimated there were probably three bedrooms. The exterior was fairly well maintained though he had the impression that the inside would not be nearly as immaculate as Kaori's apartment. There was more of a casual ease to its aura. He calmly walked up the two steps and rang the doorbell.

Kaori's brother Akira was nearest the door so he was the first one to reach the doorknob in the mad scramble as everyone tried to be the first to greet the guest. Poor Kaori who was the smallest of the adults got pushed aside.

"Welcome to our humble abode," her brother said with an exaggerated bow.

"Hello," Kakashi replied as the rest of the family gathered behind Akira, blocking the doorway. Kakashi just stood there for a minute as Kaori's entire family stared at him.

Kaori roughly pushed everyone aside to clear a path for Kakashi to enter.

"Come in Kakashi-sensei," Kaori said pleasantly. "It's not polite to stare," she whispered harshly to her family.

Kakashi walked in without directly looking at anyone or greeting anyone in particular. At a glance he took in his surroundings and was secretly pleased to see his expectations were correct. The rooms had a comfortable homey feel, decorated with numerous personal objects, unlike Kaori's place which was fairly stark and unsentimental - much like his own.

"You're just in time for dinner," said Kaori's mom as she guided him to the dining room.

"That's okay. I'm not hungry."

"You have to eat something, I insist."

"I already ate on my mission."

"What exactly? Shinobi rations? That's not real food. Sit down and have a real home cooked meal. When was the last time you enjoyed something like that?" She started piling up a bit of everything from the assorted dishes she had laid out.

Everyone else took a seat around him. He sat at one end of the table while Kaori's father sat at the other end. Kaori sat on Kakashi's left and her mother on his right. Kaori's brother sat next to his mom and his wife next to him with their toddler. Sumire sat next to Kaori and her kids sat between her and her husband. Kakashi noted there was no boy-girl-boy-girl order and they were probably sitting in the least offensive way. He remembered Kaori did not get along with her brother or sister-in-law and was indifferent to her brother-in-law. He watched the ensuing chaos as dishes were passed back and forth and as the kids tried to grab everything and as their parents grabbed their kids' hands.

"Stop it."

"Don't grab."

"Don't touch."

"Use your chopsticks."

"Use your napkin."

"You don't like that."

"Try this, you'll like it."

"I don't!"

"Just eat it!"

Kakashi did not touch his food but just listened and watched the busy family, taking it all in, all the chaos and warmth of a family.

He noticed Sumire's baby staring at him. It seemed the baby had never seen a one-eyed man before. Kakashi looked over at the baby and stared back. His eyebrow angled in a mock frown. The little tyke started bawling. Sumire groaned. She was hoping to have dinner in peace but now she had to deal with a fussy baby. She glanced at Kakashi and had a sneaking suspicion that he was responsible.

"Kakashi sensei, please try my mother's cooking," Kaori encouraged, expecting that Kakashi had read her notes and would compliment her mother's cooking.

Kakashi lowered his mask to eat. A sudden stillness fell over the Kuchiki family. Time froze and for a minute, everyone was quiet as they observed his fine face. Even the baby stopped crying. An impartial observer would have noticed their irises and pupils contracting and distorting into heart shapes.

He took a bite of his food and chewed thoughtfully. "It's kind of tough, and a bit too salty," he honestly appraised the stewed beef.

"Oh, you should eat that with the rice and it may be overcooked since it had to be reheated," Kaori's mother said defensively. _'Because we were waiting for you!'_ she angrily added to herself. She smiled tightly.

"Er, mom's cooking is best when it's fresh and warm," Kaori quickly interceded. She tried to change the topic. "So dad, how's the world of numbers."

"The usual. We're gearing up for the next round of changes in the tax code."

Kakashi yawned rudely. "Sorry, but tax talk is less exciting than watching my kunai rust."

"Well, it's certainly not as exciting as the life of a shinobi." Kaori's father face grew dark at the insult to his profession.

"Er, so how's things with you, Akira?" Kaori now tried to divert attention to her brother.

"We caught some card counters the other day."

"I never understood why counting cards is illegal. It's all a scam. Gambling is just a government sanctioned racket. All those addicts just throwing their money away. It really should be banned," Kakashi interjected.

Akira and his wife glared at him for insulting their livelihood.

'_What the hell is he doing?_' Kaori thought angrily. It seemed Kakashi forgot everything she had told him and didn't read her notes at all.

The awkward silence was broken by Sumire's two older children who started to fight.

"He touched my food!"

"She touched my food!"

"Haha now you got my germs!"

"I'm gonna kill you!"

"Stop it kids - it's dinner time," their father said ineffectually.

"Let them fight. I'm always on the lookout for shinobi recruits," smiled Kakashi. He gave the kids a thumbs up.

The parents glared at him for encouraging violence. The kids stopped fighting and stared at the strange adult.

Unlike dinner with Gai, dinner with Kakashi was much more strained. Each member of Kaori's family wondered what Kaori could possibly see in him besides his good looks, which admittedly, were very good indeed.

Kaori's father noted that although Kakashi was late because he was on a mission, Gai sensei also had a mission. but he had the foresight and consideration to finish his mission well ahead of time and arrived right on time for dinner.

Kaori's mother noted that Kakashi had not brought anything to dinner, unlike Gai sensei who sent flowers and brought a huge, though mutated, turkey. It was the thought that count and apparently Kakashi was not very thoughtful.

Sumire and Akira and their spouses thought how Kakashi was terrible with children, unlike Gai sensei who knew exactly what to do to entertain their children and keep them from fussing or fighting.

They all silently agreed that Gai sensei was much, much better. All he needed was a makeover while Kakashi had more serious problems.

Meanwhile Kakashi happily and obliviously relished his food despite his initial criticism. It was nice being with a family even if he wasn't truly a part of it. He couldn't remember the last time he enjoyed a meal with a family and it was the first time he had met the parents of one of his dates.

So why wasn't he behaving better? Why was he going out of his way to antagonize everyone? Even though he hadn't read Kaori's notebook, she had already given him a heads up summary at dinner the other day. He should have known what to expect and what to do to impress them.

He chewed his food slowly and watched as the family ignored him and talked amongst themselves. Kaori clearly got her looks from her mother, who was still attractive though age and three children had naturally added weight to her frame. Her hair was the same reddish brown color with no gray and he deduced that she recently had it colored. He vaguely remembered that Kaori said her mother ran a beauty salon. A pleasant thought crossed his mind as he imagined the pretty nurse beside him aging gracefully in a similar fashion.

Kaori's brother and sister clearly resembled their father with their greater height and stronger frame. They both had black hair, but like Kaori, their eyes were hazel with flecks of green. Sumire had a more motherly look than Kaori, softer, more friendly, open and patient looking. The brother had an honest square face, which belied the fact that he hustled dice for a living. The hated sister-in-law was all bones and sharp angles with black eyes and red hair that was obviously dyed. The feckless brother-in-law whose name Kaori had a hard time remembering, was much like she described, that is not memorable at all – just a plain quiet balding man who seemed nice enough.

Kakashi listened in amusement as the couples bickered over what and how much to feed their little brats. He watched as Kaori's mom piled more and more food on his and Kaori's plates before they had a chance to finish their initial servings.

Akira decided to make another attempt to befriend his sister's beau. He said good-naturedly, "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into. My sister is not as nice as she appears. Even though she's a nurse, she doesn't have any 'patience' - get it?" He laughed at his own joke. Although he meant it as a good-natured tease, his wife picked up on it in a not so nice way.

"That's right. You'd better be careful or you might find yourself wearing tonight's dinner," Sadoko said in reference to Kaori's last blind date.

Kaori's family all laughed, oblivious to her feelings. She felt her temperature rising and steam starting to build.

Sumire saw the tell tale signs of her sister's anger and said in her diplomatic way, "We're just teasing of course. Kaori's a wonder sister and nurse and all around person. I don't know how she puts up with us irresponsible types. We can't blame her for losing it sometimes." Her comment did not make Kaori feel any better.

Undaunted, Sadoko tried another tactic to annoy Kaori. She was certain that Kaori and Kakashi's relationship was a sham. If Kaori had really been involved with such a famous shinobi for so long, she definitely would have boasted about it. "So where did you and Kaori meet?" asked Sadoko in her most friendly voice, which still had a touch of malice.

"At the hospital."

"When?"

"Hmm, it was during the chuunin exam preliminaries."

'_That's true,'_ noted Kaori, praying that Kakashi would get this part right.

"Really? That long ago? She hasn't mentioned you at all. I would have thought your first date would be big news."

'_Oh, please please don't say anything that will give me away!_' thought Kaori desperately.

But luckily Kakashi just shrugged. "A serious relationship is not something to be discussed lightly."

"So it's serious?" Kaori's father interjected, frowning again.

"Well, er, it's the most serious relationship for the both of us," he replied honestly, thinking of how serious Kaori was when testing his memory the other day.

Kaori nodded mutely, surprised at how well Kakashi was fielding the questions now.

"So, has Kaori told you about the time she hurt her arm at the Academy?" Sadoko tried again to find an inconsistency, knowing it was really her ankle.

Kakashi just nodded vaguely.

Before there could be any more trouble, Kaori broke in, "Kakashi-sensei has to be up early for a mission tomorrow so we'll leave first."

"Well actually..." Kakashi was about to say when Kaori abruptly stood up, ready to leave.

"Oh, you have to have desert first. Kaori come help me in the kitchen." Her mother gave her that look that meant we need to talk. There was no denying her mother or she would just have to hear it later, so Kaori dutifully followed her into the kitchen where she had a beautifully decorated chocolate cake.

"So is it really serious? Like getting married serious?" She figured any son-in-law was better than none at all.

"Er, not exactly. It's still early. He's just recovered you know and we're both really busy."

Her mother sighed in relief. "I don't know about that guy. He doesn't seem very reliable. Gai sensei seems to be a better choice."

"Not that again. I've told you over and over, no way!"

"But really Kaori, if you compare everything but their looks, Gai sensei comes out on top. He was on time despite having a mission. He had the foresight and consideration to bring gifts. He got along with everyone. He was funny and smart and entertaining."

"He's not my type, so just forget it!"

"I just want you to be happy. I think in the long one you'd be happier with someone more attentive, more vibrant, more caring. Take it from me, marriage is a life sentence so make sure you get along with your cell-mate."

"Do you say things like that to dad?"

"Of course, and he agrees with me 100 percent. Remember, it's not what's on the outside, it's what's on the inside that counts."

"You tell me that each time I see you. I know what I'm doing."

"I certainly hope so for your sake. The rumors I've heard about that man..."

"What rumors? Forget the rumors - they're all lies!"

"Are you sure? He does read those perverted books doesn't he?"

"Er, yes, but that's not a big deal. They're best sellers so men most in Konoha probably have a copy. I bet dad has a copy."

Kaori's mom quickly dropped the topic of Icha Icha books since her husband did have the whole set and she had read them as well. "Uh, well, what about the ramen girl? I heard they have a something going on." She had heard it from her customers at the beauty salon who had heard it from someone who had heard it from Otoha.

"It's a lie. There's nothing going on between them," Kaori said with a confidence she didn't quite feel.

"Well, what about how's he's late all the time? It can't be because of missions all the time."

"You know, everyone has a personality quirk. Look at Gai sensei's green jumpsuit. Which is worse?" Kaori said defensively.

What could her mother say to that? The green jumpsuit was the one thing that was very, very difficult for anyone to ignore. Kaori's mother just sighed and gave in. "Right, you're an adult and you know what you're doing. I'm not going to say anything else…for now."

-…-…-…-

_Author's Notes: Thanks for being patient (or not). I managed to squeeze this in my busy_ _schedule. Next update will be after tax time._


	21. Encounter at the Hot Springs

_Author's Notes: All romantic comedy anime/manga must have a scene at the hot springs!_

_**Encounter at the Hot Springs**_

There was just one date left, and though Kaori wanted very badly for Kakashi to fulfill his promise, a part of her did not want that day to come. She instinctively felt that once his promise was fulfilled, she would not see him again. It was better to leave the promise unfulfilled so she could continue her fantasy. She had recently read in a magazine that women were happiest while engaged. The exhilarating feeling of an exciting future, of great expectations, of a profound promise - that was better than another bad date.

Kaori still felt guilty about forcing Kakashi to meet her family under abnormal circumstances. She wanted the man she loved to meet her family with the expectation of a future together. Unfortunately, he made little effort to make a positive impression nor did he seem to care. She was disappointed, but decided that even if there could be no romantic relationship, she would be positive during their third date no matter what. She still wanted to impress him, though he had not done anything to impress her.

She really didn't understand him at all. She had told him about her family and herself, so even if he hadn't read her notes, he should have known what to say or do, and most of it was common sense. If seemed he went out of his way to annoy her and her family. But then it seemed he recovered and handled their questions quite well. After dinner, he made no romantic overture, but he was nice, and didn't seem at all annoyed that she had blackmailed him.

She was delighted, though surprised, that he wanted to fulfill his promise even when she offered to cancel the third date. He had said to her that night after dinner, "_A promise is a promise and I am a man of my word.'_

Was it just because he wanted to keep his promise or could there be something more? That small bit of hope was enough to carry Kaori through her day-to-day drudgery. She wanted to believe it was still possible for him to care for her. His ambiguity vexed her yet she did not have the courage to confront him directly. She was afraid he would clearly state he did not like her and that would ruin the fantasy permanently. But perhaps that would have been better than her present state of limbo where she could not move on to another man because of her persistent feelings for such an attainable one. Though she sensibly refused to throw her heart and soul into that possibility, she still held it tightly and decided to refuse all other dates until there was no hope at all.

There had not been any word from him since, but she was no longer surprised nor was she waiting on pins and needles. It seemed he was on a mission rotation cycle where he had off one day every couple of weeks, if there were no emergencies. As usual, she excused his lack of communication as his dedication to work – he was simply too busy.

One Friday, toward the end of her shift, a messenger bird came zooming in, coming to a stop above her desk. The little brown hawk gently settled down and perched on her stack of reports to be reviewed. This was not uncommon for low security messages, so the nurse naturally assumed that there must have been an accident during a genin mission and the injured party would be brought in soon. Kaori quickly tore the note off the bird's leg. To her surprise, it was from Kakashi.

_To: Kuchiki Kaori_

_From: Hatake Kakashi_

_Meet me at Hot Springs_

_Sunday night about 4pm._

'_The hot springs! The hot springs! He asked me to the hot springs!_' Kaori had not felt like this for a long, long time. That type of absolute excitement and anticipation of being with someone you liked. Hot springs were where couples and close friends went for fun. Not two people who barely knew each other. So maybe he did have special feelings for her. Why else would he ask her to the hot springs? It was an unexpected choice for a third date.

He would probably be on the way back from a mission. A bath right before dinner was a wonderfully romantic idea. She had not been to a hot springs for years despite there being one right in Konoha. Why would anyone want to share a bath with a group of complete strangers, even if they were all the same sex? This brought her to her next thought – there was no coed bathing in the Konoha hot springs, so how were they going to spend time together? Maybe it was just the meeting place and not what he really planned at all.

It was Friday and the date was Sunday. Luckily, Kaori had Sundays off. She was scheduled to work tomorrow, but decided to take Saturday off, too. As was her prerogative, Kaori scheduled Otoha as her replacement since Kaori had covered for her several times in the past.

So with the prospect of another date with Kakashi, and the satisfaction of witnessing Otoha's fury when she found out that she had to work on Saturday, Kaori was in a really good mood for once.

She spent Saturday running errands and cleaning her apartment, the activities she usually reserved for her regular day off. Sunday morning she went to a beauty salon for a full treatment – facial, body wrap, manicure, pedicure, hair cut and styled. But not at her mom's salon - Kaori guiltily patronized her rival across town. The owner recognized Kaori and asked why she wasn't at her mother's salon.

Kaori had to think of another lie. She could not tell the beautician the truth – that she did not want her family to know that she was preparing for a date. "My mom's book solid and today's my only day off and I don't have time to wait for an appointment."

That seemed to satisfy the woman, but her good humor dropped drastically with the thought of her rival doing better business than herself. The overly made-up middle-aged woman couldn't help but take it out on poor Kaori. What was meant to be hours of pampering turned out to be more like torture as she roughly washed Kaori's hair and scrubbed her face. Kaori's body ached and her skin felt raw by the end of it.

Kaori spent Sunday afternoon fretting over her date and her clothes, again. She had no idea what she should wear. If Kakashi meant for them to bathe, she should wear a simple robe type dress which would make it easy to undress. But if that was not his intent, she should wear a nice, more formal dress. It was so unfair that all Kakashi wore was his shinobi uniform!

She finally dug out a dress which was a present from her horrible sister-in-law. Kaori suspected she had given it to her only because it was a gift from someone else. Kaori accepted the gift graciously but never wore it as it reminded her of the bitch. The dress was a couple of years old, but looked new, with tags still attached. It was of a wrap around style where you did not have to put it on by pulling over your head. Instead, like a robe, you simply slipped it on and tied it with a decorative belt at the waist. It was beige with brown geometric designs. Not an ugly dress, but not the colors Kaori preferred to attract a man.

She decided not to wear any jewelry since she did not like the feel of jewelry in water. Still, in case they were not going to bathe, she had to wear someone more ornamental so she placed her hair in a twist held in place by an expensive and elaborately carved jade hairpin. After dressing and doing her hair, she applied some makeup. Any makeup would probably come off during a bath, but Kaori applied some light touches anyway, just in case. Finally she was ready. She carried nothing to her date but a small purse with her keys and some money.

She arrived a bit early as was usual for her. She didn't mind waiting. She had not been at the hot springs for years so she walked around to enjoy the scenery and the wisps of white steam.

The appointment time came and went. Kaori stood around and waited, paced and waited, sat down and waited, and walked around and waited. It was now past six.

Kaori restlessly walked back to the front desk. To her jaw dropping surprise, Kaori saw what looked like her aggravating coworker Otoha with... Gai! What the hell was going on? Did the world tilt on its axis? To be sure, she discreetly walked over, and hid behind the nearby rose bushes. It was definitely them! But Gai was not in his usual atrocious attire. He was wearing a simple dark brown robe. Otoha wore a bright red one embroidered with flowers. Her luxurious black hair was piled high on her head to show off her long flawless neck.

As they walked by the rose bushes, Gai plucked a flower and presented it to Otoha with a deep bow. "A flower such as this pales in comparison to your vibrant beauty, but please accept it as a symbol of my eternal devotion as your faithful servant."

Unreasonable rage swept over Kaori._ 'How fickle! One minute I'm his destined one, and now Otoha? How can that possibly be? Especially since I told him she's gay. And when did this happen? Otoha made no mention of Gai at all. Isn't she still involved with Kanpou?'_

Kaori also thought how it was illegal of Gai to pick flowers without the owner's permission. But she knew the thought was just sour grapes. She wondered if Kakashi would bring her flowers and knew that would be very unlikely.

Kaori sat on the ground, too stunned to move. She didn't even notice when footsteps approached.

"Ah, isn't it Kaori-san, I almost didn't recognize you out of your stuffy starched uniform. I never imagined this would be a place you'd frequent. Here alone I see," Otoha said in her snide way.

But Kaori was not one to be cowed, especially by a subordinate. "Didn't I see you here with Gai sensei? I didn't know you two were an item. I didn't think he was your type. You really should stop going after my rejects and find someone on your own."

To Kaori's surprise, Otoha seemed slightly embarrassed rather than angry. "Ah, well, it didn't really start out like this. Sort of an interesting story."

Kaori had to know how Gai had gotten to Otoha, so she pretended she wasn't interested, knowing that was more likely to get the gossipy girl to talk. She stood up and dusted herself off. "Well, whatever. See you at work tomorrow," she said disinterestedly.

As expected, Otoha continued her story. "It was strange. Yesterday he came in with Lee for his checkup. You were off duty. While Lee was in the examining room, I tried flirting with him since I was bored, but he totally ignored me. You know I'm not used to that type of treatment from a man. So I just had to rev it up a bit, you know what I mean. I didn't have a date last night since Kanpou was on duty and…anyway, we spent last night together. Boy, you don't know what you missed! His stamina is amazing! And the size of his…"

"That's great. I'm really happy for you," Kaori said with a forced smile.

Gai walked over after getting the towels and bath supplies from the front desk. He greeted Kaori without any reservation. "Ah, my dear Kaori. I'd like to thank you for helping me find the true woman of my destiny."

"Huh? I thought I was that woman."

"You see, I had it all wrong. You were on my path of destiny, but now I have reached the true goal, the brightest jewel among all women - my exquisite Otoha!" He smiled at his new love. "I must have misunderstood you when you said you and Otoha were involved. You must have meant gay in the happy way. I'm glad the two are you are such good friends."

Otoha gave the two of them a quizzical look and shrugged. She didn't understand half the things Gai said and she didn't mind Gai's idiosyncrasies since he was so great in bed.

Kaori was too stunned to know how she felt. Half of her felt relieved and wanted to celebrate, the other half was furious with jealousy that Gai could possibly prefer Otoha. Then she realized something. Gai did not quite look like his usual self. She squinted at him but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. He was wearing more normal clothes, that was part of it, but there was something else…his hair! His hair was not in the usual floppy bangs, bowl-cut style, but slicked back with hair gel, exposing a handsome broad forehead. He was still nowhere near as handsome as Kakashi, but he wasn't bad at all.

Otoha caught her looking at Gai and smiled. "It seems Gai sensei recently had a makeover. I must say, your mother does good work."

"My mother?"

"Ah yes, she sent me a message a yesterday morning indicating she needed my assistance. Luckily I finished my mission early and was able to stop by her work place. After helping her change some light bulbs, she offered to trim my hair. Since the front was getting a bit long I agreed. I didn't realize she was going to style it into this." Gai frowned and pointed at his hair. "Then I accompanied my dear Lee to the hospital for his checkup and ran into the curvaceous Otoha."

'_I see… my mother planned for Gai to run into me since I'm scheduled to work this Saturday. She thought that I would go for him once she gave him a makeover. Nice try mom, but Kakashi's the only one for me!'_ Kaori almost laughed at her mother's continual attempts to interfere with her love life, but remembered how she really didn't have one at all. "Well, have fun you two. I certainly wish you the best," she said honestly. The relieved half of her finally won.

"So what are you doing here?" Otoha asked.

Kaori shrugged. "Just waiting for a friend. I'm not here for the hot springs," she lied.

"Well, see you later," Otoha said as she clung to Gai's arm.

Gai smiled and waved good-bye with his free hand. The two of them walked toward the baths.

Kaori was left alone to wait again.

The sun had set by 8PM and Kaori had been waiting for over four hours. Her stomach ached from hunger .She could not wait any longer or she would not have the strength to move from her spot.

With a sigh, Kaori gave up. It seemed Kakashi was too busy with his mission. She wondered what could have happened and panic stuck her as she imagined him dead, impaled by a hundred kunai. She wanted to send out a messenger bird to find him but that was only for emergencies so instead she decided to leave a note with the front desk in case he showed up.

Kaori made her way to one of her usual takeout places - Ichiraku. The food was consistently good and inexpensive. It had a balance of nutrients which included noodles for carbohydrates, meat for protein, and vegetables for fiber and vitamins. She could smell the miso stock wafting over the cool night air. Thinking of the hot springs, and water, and water creatures, she decided to get the seafood ramen.

Ichiraku was always open late, but this time she noticed that the ramen girl was not there. To make casual conversation, Kaori asked the old ramen chef, "So where's your daughter tonight? Not sick I hope."

"Oh no, she's fine. She's out on a date with Naruto's sensei," he said as he handed her the bag holding her takeout order.

Kaori nearly dropped the bag.

**-…-…-**

_Author's Notes:_ _I was thinking of matching Gai up with Shizune, but I just couldn't do that to my favorite kunoichi._


	22. Kakashi's Side of the Story

_Author's Note: I can't believe I've been working on this for over a year! I'm way too slow to be a professional. Oh well, I hope to have this finished by the end of the summer. Thanks for all the reviews!_

_**Kakashi's Side of the Story**_

'_Hurry, hurry! If we're late, we won't get lucky!'_ said the Obito voice in Kakashi's head.

Kakashi was late again. He really had meant to be on time to meet Kaori at Hot Springs Village after his mission, but the client took longer than usual to settle his account. A-class missions were very expensive and the client did not have the full amount at hand. Kakashi finally had to lean on him with subtle threats before the man agreed to pay the full commission by borrowing from several friends and relatives. Debt collection was the worst part of his missions. Most regular clients already had accounts set up, but some paid by the mission and gave only a small deposit upfront. Kakashi did not like to dirty his hands with petty monetary matters (although blood was okay), but if he didn't, the money would come out of his pocket. Tsunade-sama was obsessive about collecting debts, despite having been on the opposite end for years.

After arguing with Obito all week, Kakashi finally decided to take a chance on the pretty little nurse despite his initial misgivings. Of course, it was a very bold invitation and he was curious to see how she would react. Would she agree to a private bath with just the two of them, or insist on separate bath areas for men and women? Maybe she'd even be bold enough for the public mixed gender bath. Then afterwards, they'd have a nice dinner together and then who knows. The inns there also rented rooms by the hour. And if she had to be at work the next day, the village was close enough to Konoha that he could carry her on his back if they missed the late wagon that ran between the villages in the area. It was off peak season, so he expected the resort to be fairly empty and they would have some privacy. He was now looking forward to a nice long soak in the mineral rich waters at Hot Springs Village.

When he arrived at the main desk, Kaori was nowhere to be seen. He worried that maybe she got tired of waiting and left. He quickly scouted the area, hoping she had wandered off to look around, but there was no sign of her. The man at the front desk did not see anyone matching Kaori's description, but he had just started his shift. Kakashi waited for another hour before he resigned himself to the fact that he had been stood up.

But wasn't he the one being presumptuous? Yes he had sent her an invitation to the hot springs, but she didn't actually reply back - he just assumed that she would say yes. Maybe she had given up on him after what happened at dinner. He knew he had behaved badly, but for some reason he couldn't help it. It was as though the Obito part of him took over and he had to act like an inconsiderate jerk. Maybe he didn't want them to like him. Maybe he didn't want her to have feelings for him. It was something he often did to keep people at bay, so no one could get close. But whenever he thought back to that time, watching her squabbling siblings, he felt what he had been missing all his life – the closeness and warmth of a family.

Yet despite his behavior, she didn't seem to be upset. In fact she had apologized to him for putting him through the scrutiny of her family and allowed him to break his promise. Deep down, he wanted another date with her, but his conscious self reasoned that it was because he owed Kaori another date, and because he felt guilty about not following her instructions. So he had decided to make it up to her with a romantic date at the Hot Springs.

But it seemed he was too late.

Kakashi decided to head home to Konoha, foregoing a soak in the hot springs. He was no longer in the mood. A hot shower would have to do instead. And instead of a nice warm body to spend his night with, the Icha Icha books would have to do again.

"You blew it! A girl's more important than money. Tsunade could've sent a debt collector later," griped the Obito voice. "You did this on purpose! You always do this!"

"I don't think she showed up," Kakashi replied calmly.

"Of course she did. I'm telling you she still wants us. But only a complete idiot would wait for more than two hours..." The Obito voice continued to berate Kakashi all the way home.

-…-…-…-

The next morning, since Kakashi did owed Kaori an apology for pissing off her family, and maybe another apology for being late, he headed over to the hospital. He found Kaori sitting at the front desk looking as perfectly coifed as usual, though her eyes seemed rather red and very tired.

"I'm sorry..." he was about to say when Kaori cut him off.

"There's no need to apologize. I took care of you while you were here because it was my job. I might have gotten too personally involved, but that was my mistake. You are no longer under any obligation to me," she said coldly. She thought he was there to apologize for missing their date and for two-timing her with the ramen girl.

Her icy tone and the anger in her eyes surprised Kakashi. She must have waited for him, he surmised, since she didn't seem that upset the last time he saw her, but then again maybe something happened with her family. Instead of helping her out with her family problems, all he did was make more trouble for her. He tried again to apologize, "I'm sorry about yesterday, I..."

"I'm fine with it. Like I said, you're under no obligation. I'm not going to bother you again and Gai sensei won't be either, so you can go back to your life as it was. Please leave now - I'm very busy." Kaori then turned her back on him and began to shuffle papers around.

"Right then, well, I'll see you around," he said to her back. He hesitated a bit before finally leaving. As he walked away he could hear her sniffle and blow her nose. She either had a cold, allergies, or was crying, he analyzed. Was she that upset just because he was a couple of hours late? Was that really so bad? She had waited an hour or more during the other dates and didn't complain at all. Like any stubborn bachelor, he did not want to change for a woman. He wanted someone who would accept him as he was, flaws and all. No one had ever passed the test.

Now it was time to head over to the administration building for another assignment. In some ways keeping himself occupied with dangerous missions was better than sitting around reading fantasy books, which would never come true for him, or sitting around thinking of the life he missed out on when he chose, or rather inherited, the life of a shinobi. As the son of the great White Fang, who taught him shinobi tactics from the time he could crawl, he had no choice. Maybe it would have been better if he had not been born a genius. But then he'd probably be dead. But if he were really, really lucky, he'd have his own family by now.

It was unlike Kakashi to have these thoughts of having his own family. It was just that seeing the pretty nurse with her family made him feel that profound ache and need to belong to someone. But family life was just not for him, so he pushed those thoughts out of his mind. It was a waste of time to dwell on such fantasies when he could easily be dead the next mission. His life was as it was and there was little he could do to change it.

So he was back to his so-called life. Mission after mission. It was nearly non-stop these days. Not even the luxury of easy missions with his team. His genin were deemed advanced enough to be on their own now, without a chuunin or jounin leader. They had been away for days on a mission involving a shrine race. That would have been a fun mission, he thought enviously.

But the confrontation with Kaori puzzled him all day as he completed another mission, a short and relatively easy one involving the recovery of some ancient artifacts stolen from the Konoha museum. There was something not quite right, but he couldn't place his finger on it. Something tugged at the back of his mind even as he caught and tied up the perpetrators.

Back home, he took out the special messenger scroll that all chuunin and jounin carried, and summoned his assigned messenger bird which had carried his note to Kaori. The little brown hawk waited for Kakashi to tie another note to its leg, but instead Kakashi asked, "Do you remember a couple of days ago I asked you to carry a message to a pretty nurse at the hospital?"

"Yes, of course, quite pretty and nice. In fact, she gave me some of her lunch – said she wasn't hungry."

"Describe her."

"Hmm, rather small for an adult human female. Reddish brown feathers, I mean hair, almost like my feathers. Light brown eyes..."

"How did she react after reading the message?"

"Ecstatic! That's why she offered me her lunch."

"Was there anything unusual about her or anything else that day?"

"Why all the questions? Did something happen?"

"Nothing...she didn't show up at the hot springs."

"Which hot springs?"

"At Hot Springs Village, of course."

"Oh..."

"Oh?"

"Well...she tore the note off my leg since it was a bit stuck, so a little piece of it remained. I took it off myself later on. There was something written on it. I think it was the word village."

"You mean she met me at some other hot springs?" He gave the poor little bird a dangerous look.

"I…I…I don't know. It's not m…m…my fault. I did my job. You can't blame me..." the bird stammered.

"I see...she probably waited for me somewhere else. Probably the Konoha hot springs." He had opted for Hot Springs Village because it was farther away, had private baths for rent, and they would be away from the prying eyes and gossip of the Konoha villagers.

"Look, if you don't have a task for me, I'm off." The little hawk wanted out of the situation as soon as possible, afraid that Kakashi would place a black mark on his record and he would be given more dangerous routes to fly next time.

"Fine, but next time, make sure the whole message gets delivered!" Kakashi said to the puff of smoke which marked the disappearance of a summoned animal.

To confirm his suspicions, Kakashi checked the Konoha hot springs. The middle-aged woman at the front desk, who managed the springs, confirmed that Kaori had been there waiting for him, for hours, until quite late, and had even left a note for him. She added that Kaori was very worried and had expressed concern that something had happened during his mission. She handed the note to him.

_To: Kakashi sensei _

_I hope your mission was successful and you are well. I waited as long as I could, but I need to get dinner now. Maybe I'll see you when you get back._

_Kaori_

That was even stranger. If Kaori had been worried about him, and wanted to see him, why would she act so coldly now? He could have let it go, but his curiosity would not, so he followed the only clue he had to recreate the hours between the time she wrote him the note and when he saw her that morning.

She had left the hot springs to get dinner. Knowing Kaori, who apparently was a lazy cook, she probably picked up takeout. Since it was already late, and she had to work the next day, it had to be on her way home from the hot springs. There were only a few places on the way and of these, Ichiraku was the most likely, so he headed there directly.

Kakashi saw the Ichiraku ramen waitress in her off-white uniform, busily wiping down the counters in preparation for the dinner rush. She looked up when she heard someone approach.

"Hello," Kakashi said pleasantly.

Ayame smiled back. "Welcome Kakashi-sensei. What can I get you?"

"Well, actually, I'm not here for dinner. I'd just like to ask if you saw nurse Kuchiki Kaori yesterday night. Umm, reddish brown hair, about so tall…"

"I wasn't here last night but you can ask my dad." She turned her head and yelled out, "Hey dad, Kakashi-sensei wants to know if you saw that nurse last night! You know, the pretty one you like!"

Her father quickly came out, red in the face. He gave his daughter a look of annoyance before addressing Kakashi. "Yeah, she was here. Had the seafood ramen. Looked kind of down. You do something?" he glared at Kakashi suspiciously.

Kakashi shrugged and asked, "Did she say something?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary. She placed her order and while waiting she asked about Ayame and I told her she was out on a date with Iruka-sensei."

Ayame blushed. She really wanted Kakashi, but had to settle for Iruka, whom she found nice enough, though the ponytail just had to go.

"Is Kaori-san all right?" Ayame asked when she saw Kakashi not acting like his usual cool indifferent self.

"She's fine. It's nothing. Sorry I bothered you. I better get going before Naruto shows up expecting me to treat him." He quickly disappeared before they could ask him any more personal questions.

Kakashi contemplated what the old ramen chef had told him and it did not seem like anything that would send Kaori over the edge. Unless it was because Ayame had a nice steady boyfriend while Kaori's love interest was unreliable. Iruka had a relatively easy teaching position with regular hours, though recently he too was being sent out on missions. Iruka was obviously the type to settle down and have a family.

Maybe Kaori finally realized that he was not the man for her. Kakashi sighed.

-…-…-…-…-

_Author's Notes: Those of you who have read my ramen girl series should have expected that Ayame was out with Iruka ;) I like to make Kakashi out to be a bit of a bastard in my stories, but not that much._


	23. Double Date

_Author's Notes: This story is also posted at mediaminer .org and on my personal site animefamily .com. If you see it anywhere else please let me know._

**_Double Dating _**

_'I hate you! Hatake Kakashi, I hate you more than anyone I've ever hated in my entire life! You knew how much I liked you, but you didn't have the guts to turn me down. You purposely set me up for a fall. How could I be so blind and stupid? Stupid, stupid, stupid! May you roast in frog oil. May you die a thousand and one deaths by Itachi's genjutsu. May you break all 206 bones in your body, and any extra ones. May the deserts of the Sand entomb you… ' _

Kaori struggled to think of more curses, but after days of crying and cursing, she no longer had any more original ones.

Since that day, Kaori threw herself into work, clocking four hours of overtime everyday. It was better than being alone at home where all she did was dwell on what happened. She managed to put up a brave front at work and told people her red eyes were due to allergies, but home alone, with nary a pet to confide in, all she could do was cry and curse the man responsible for her heartache.

_'I am sooooo over him!'_ Kaori would say, but she knew it wasn't true. Broken hearts often took longer to mend than broken legs. And sometimes they never mended at all.

'_Kakashi had some nerve to come to me apologizing and expecting me to forgive him. And then what? Allow him to continue to date that ramen waitress at the same time?!_' Yet if he had come crawling back to her, she would have seriously thought about it, though she would not admit that to herself.

It seemed she had little success in love. Was it her own fault for letting the good ones get away? Like Gai sensei. If she had given him an honest chance, if she had taken the time to mold him into the man she wanted. Look at him now with Otoha. Gai would come by whenever he could and he always brought something. At first it was something weird like household cleaning products and insect repellent, but then Otoha instructed him to bring flowers and candy, which she ate with exaggerated relish, smacking her too red lips in front of her superior. Kaori hoped that her rude subordinate would gain lots of weight for her transgression.

Otoha also had Gai in normal clothes when he wasn't on duty, and with his hair slicked back, he wasn't bad looking at all. He had a strong rugged look, not refined like Kakashi, but rather attractive in some respect. But that was all artificial, just the exterior of a man. Kaori knew she was being shallow, but no matter what anyone said, looks were important. She didn't need a man to be as handsome as Kakashi, just one she could look at without wincing.

What was important, as she always agreed, was what was on the inside. And it seemed she misjudged Kakashi. He was not the man of integrity she thought he was. She had given him the benefit of a doubt for months, claiming he wasn't a pervert, though he read those books, not believing Otoha's claim that he was involved with the ramen girl, sticking up for him each time. His mysterious persona did not hide any deeper feelings as she had romantically thought. He was just another skirt-chasing pervert! He must have been playing hard to get with her, knowing that she was the type of woman who wanted a man more when he showed less interest. Maybe that was her real problem - she only wanted things she couldn't have.

After much introspection, Kaori resolved to go for the next guy she dated - no matter who it was, how he looked, how much money he had, or his status in life, as long as he was not married.

These were Kaori's thoughts as she stared at the blank computer screen at work, which had timed out again after ten minutes. With Tsunade's return, her workload had decreased. Or rather the number of patients staying longer than overnight had decreased, but for some reason paperwork still increased. She heard someone coughed slightly to get her attention so Kaori returned to professional mode, smiled and looked up.

But it was just Shizune who had dropped by the hospital to see her old friend. "Kaori-san," she said in her deferential way, "can you do me a favor?"

Kaori was even more wary of doing favors after what happened with Kakashi, so she said rather curtly, "Maybe. What is it?"

"Well, umm, if you're not seeing anyone right now…how would you like to go on a double date?"

"Double date? With you?"

"Yes, er, Shiranui Genma sort of asked me out the other day, but I was so flustered I asked if I could bring a friend and he said no problem. Then he said he'd bring his friend, too. But then I couldn't think of anyone appropriate who was still unattached except you."

Kaori did not know whether to be flattered or insulted. But maybe this was what she needed – a no pressure, no stress date, with some normal people, not someone who wore a mask even while in a coma.

"What are you guys planning?" asked Kaori.

"There's a traveling exhibit of ancient weapons from Hidden Sand Village at the Konoha museum. We plan to go Saturday late afternoon, around four, and then dinner afterwards. Can you make it?"

"Well, I should be able to leave an hour early and meet you at the museum." Kaori became depressed again as she recalled how she took last Saturday off in preparation for her date with Kakashi. This time she would just go after work.

"Thanks Kaori-san, you're a life-saver. I haven't been on a date in years. I wouldn't know what to say or how to act since it's not a mission. I'm not even sure it's a real date. We just sort of agreed to go to the exhibit together," Shizune said excitedly. "Well, I know you're busy so I'll leave you alone. Let me know if anything changes, okay?"

Kaori was hardly listening. All she could think about was how neither of the men was likely to be anywhere near as handsome as Kakashi, but she had to jump back into the dating scene and she was determined to make the next relationship work out.

The senior nurse coerced one of her subordinates to come in earlier on Saturday so she could leave early. She even had enough time to run home and change into a simple blue blouse and black pants before heading over to the museum. Since she was in "test date mode" she did not do much with her hair, which was pinned up in her characteristic bun, or make-up, and left those untouched.

The Shinobi Museum was a relatively small three story building of stone rather than wood like the other buildings of Konoha, and stood at the foot of the Hokage monument. It mostly housed shinobi artifacts for posterity, but also contained a number of works of fine art – sculptures and paintings of famous or infamous shinobi. Once in a while, in the name of friendship and trade relations, there would be a traveling exhibit from an allied country.

Kaori easily found Shizune and company after a quick scan of the museum foyer. They were huddled around one of the airtight boxes which held a few examples of ancient weaponry. Luckily, the museum was free as it was subsidized by not only the village itself but also the feudal lords of Fire Country, so she did not have to buy a ticket to join them. She walked over to Shizune who was talking to a shinobi in uniform with straight light brown hair that reached the nape of his neck. The other shinobi, whom she could only see from the back, was also in uniform, but his brown hair was short and spiky.

Shizune turned to greet her friend. "Kaori-san, I'm so glad you could join us. I'd like to introduce you to Shiranui Genma-san and Namiashi Raidou-san."

The two men bowed simultaneously in greeting.

Kaori smiled and bowed to Genma and then turned to face Raidou and…

She stopped mid bow and stared at him. The left side of his face was hideously scarred. She caught herself staring and quickly finished her bow.

"I'm please to meet you Kaori-san. I believe I've seen you at the hospital. You look much better out of uniform, er, I mean in civilian clothes," said Raidou. He frowned at his own slip of the tongue.

"Thank you, I think." Kaori was not happy. Shizune got to be with Genma, who Kaori noticed had eyes like Kakashi's. He wasn't as cool or handsome, but he was quite a good looking man, while Raidou…

Kaori then reminded herself she would no longer go by looks and she was going to be open to a relationship with Raidou. She just had to stand on his right side, so the left side wouldn't seem as bad. So she forced a smile and took her place on Raidou's right side and looked into the exhibition showcase.

"That's a bronze kunai from three thousand years ago, before they developed iron and steel," Raidou explained.

Kaori nodded and pretended that was the most interesting thing she had ever seen.

Raidou went on and pointed out some unusual ancient weapons. "See these? They originated from farmers' tools. Did you know that the original shinobi were from an agrarian society?"

Kaori almost said, "Yes, I know. I was at the academy," but instead she smiled vacantly and said, "How interesting."

"Isn't it? Genma and I are big history buffs, but he's more into the art and literature, while I prefer anthropology and archeology..."

Kaori stifled a yawn and continued to smile. She glanced over at Shizune and Genma. It seemed Genma was giving Shizune a history lesson as well. Men liked to believe they were smarter and stronger. The latter was usually true, except in Tsunade-sama's case. The former…well, it depended on what one meant by smart. Kaori did not have the analytical ability of a shinobi, or the knowledge of a historian, but she prided herself as having street smarts and common sense.

"You're wondering about my face," Raidou suddenly said, interrupting her random thoughts when he noticed her spacing out.

"Huh, no I'm not," Kaori immediately denied. But then she admitted, "Well, actually the thought did cross my mind."

"I obtained this," he pointed at the heavy scars, "during Kyuubi's attack. A stray flame scorched my face. There were so many people with more serious injuries that the medics couldn't get to me in time to prevent the scarring."

"That's terrible." The nurse side of Kaori had great sympathy for him while the non-professional Kaori could not get over the how the scarred skin looked red, ragged, and raw. Still, she forced herself to look at him and even moved in a bit to stand closer to him.

He shrugged. "No big deal, considering I'm still alive, but it has killed my social life. I'll understand if you want out of this date," he said seriously.

Apparently the serious minded Raidou was one of those people, like cripples, or rather the physically challenged, or rather the specially abled, who preyed on the sympathies of others to get what they want. He found the perfect victim in Kaori, a compassionate nurse.

"Of course not. Don't be silly. Looks don't matter to me at all. It's what's on the inside that counts," Kaori smiled, though the smile wavered a bit.

Raidou did not smile back. He continued to look dour. He had had enough experience with women to know that that wasn't true at all.

The group of four moved further into the museum and into the special exhibit. To Kaori's surprise, she saw Kakashi standing guard by the special exhibit room. Actually, he was supposed to be standing guard, but he was just standing there reading a book.

Shizune greeted him with, "Hello, Kakashi-sempai."

Raidou nodded and simply said, "Kakashi-san."

Genma casually commented, "I'm surprised Godaime assigned you to this."

"I worked a theft case for the museum the other day so they wanted to keep me on for a while." Kakashi looked impassively at Kaori and nodded.

Kaori could feel herself blush. She simply nodded back without a word.

"So, you four double dating? With the mixed company, it's not a shinobi meeting." Kakashi cocked his right eyebrow in amusement.

"Oh no, I mean, not really. We're all here to see the exhibit," Shizune quickly denied, then retracted her denial. She was also blushing.

The two men were too cool to respond to Kakashi's taunt. They just shrugged and continued into the room.

Kaori said nothing either. She did not look at Kakashi as she followed the others, but she could feel her heart speed up. But was that because she still wanted him or because she was still furious with him? She shook off any further thought of Kakashi and boldly gripped Raidou by his right arm.

With her back to him, she could not see the look of profound disappointment in Kakashi's single exposed eye.

-…-…-…-

_Author's Notes: Not sure whether I'll wind up the story in the next couple of chapters or make it longer. It'll depend on how inspired I am but lately I've been feeling blah._


	24. Mischief

_Author's Notes: I mapped out the next few chapters so I think I know what I'm doing now :)_

_-...-...-...-_

**Mischief**

The special exhibit section of the Konoha Shinobi Museum consisted of two large rooms. One contained four large glass exhibit cases in the center of the room and numerous stone and clay sculptures lining the walls. The other room housed stands of mannequins wearing ancient shinobi uniforms and ceremonial attire, while scowling faces peered out from paintings lining the walls. The group with three shinobi and a nurse had made their way around the ancient apparel and portraits and now were in the other room, where shinobi weapons were displayed.

"These weapons from Hidden Sand Village date back to the first Kazekage. You can tell by this motif that was most popular at the time," Raidou explain to Kaori, pointing at a design that looked like a geometric interpretation of a dragon.

Kaori nodded and said in her most impressed voice, "I see. You really know a lot about foreign shinobi weapons." She looked down with genuine interest at the various painted gourds and fans housed in the glass exhibit case. They looked just like regular household items. Maybe they were. Maybe the Sand curators were just fooling Konoha into thinking these were actually weapons. They looked more like decorative items to her without any hint of lethality.

As if reading her thoughts, Raidou continued, "Hidden in the folds of these fans are poison senbon. With chakra, they can be propelled with lethal force at over a hundred feet, able to pierce shinobi flak jackets and light armor. And these decorative gourds actually contain an assortment of poisons and anti-poisons…"

Suddenly, the two heard a familiar lazy lulling voice behind them. "Actually, these items date back a couple of hundred years before the first Kazekage. These designs originated back then and their popularity was revived during the first Kazekage's reign. You can tell by the coarse detail that these are older. And these fans are actually used by courtesan assassins. They usually contain small thin daggers, not senbon."

Kaori could physically feel Raidou's rage and embarrassment. His usual dour demeanor dipped several levels lower to abysmal. "I didn't realize you were an export on ancient Sand weaponry," he said coldly.

Kakashi shrugged and nonchalantly replied, "I have lots of hobbies."

Raidou glared at him while taking Kaori by the arm. He steered her to the next exhibit case. To his great consternation, the annoying third wheel followed. "These are some examples of canopic jars or funerary urns, used to keep the viscera of mummified corpses…" he began to say.

"Actually, these are more recent crematory jars used to hold ashes that are sometimes used as medicinal ingredients," Kakashi interrupted. He boldly looked Raidou in the eye as if challenging him to disagree.

What Raidou and the others didn't know was that Kakashi had made up his historical facts. Raidou was right about everything, but he did not have the confidence to argue against the great Sharingan no Kakashi, who by reputation was the most intelligent jounin in Konoha. Kakashi had to be right.

After a moment of tense silence, Kaori suggested, "Umm, I think it's time we go to dinner." She thought it was quite rude of Kakashi to correct Raidou in front of her, though she was very impressed at his apparently superior intelligence.

"It's dinner time already?" Kakashi said flippantly.

"You weren't invited," growled Raidou. His entire face was now as red as the scar tissue on the left side of his face. He moved to stand protectively in front of Kaori.

Genma and Shizune, who were looking at the clay sculptures, heard the interchange. Genma knew his friend had a quick temper and walked over to diffuse the awkward situation.

"Don't you still have guard duty, Kakashi?" Genma asked calmly while rolling the senbon in his mouth from corner to corner.

"We'll be happy to have you join us next time," Shizune offered in her diplomatic way.

"Let's go," Genma said as he patted Raidou on the back, placing himself between Raidou and Kakashi. He escorted his best friend and Kaori out of the room.

Shizune quickly bowed to Kakashi and then followed the others.

Kaori looked behind her to see if Shizune was following them. For a second, her eyes met Kakashi's. She immediately turned her head and looked away, refusing to be taken in again.

Kakashi stood in the room alone, outwardly looking like he had not a care in the world. If Kaori had looked a little deeper, she would have seen the same look that was reflected in the mirror when she was alone and thinking of him – a sad pensive look resigned to a life of eternal solitude.

-…-…-…-

The group of four made their way to Omiya's Sushi-Go-Round where sushi, sashimi, and other assorted bite size dishes rotated around on a conveyor belt. It was a relatively new restaurant in Konoha frequented by couples because of the atmosphere and reasonable prices. The food was all self serve except for the drinks. Patrons selected dishes from the conveyor belt and at the end of the meal, the bill was calculated based on the number of dishes which were color coded for price. It was an interesting way to conduct business and was often the topic of conversation. The large selection of dishes and fun way to order was perfect for first dates as couples struggled to get to know each other.

They found a booth, good for four people, fairly close to the food. Genma sat next to Shizune while Raidou sat next to Kaori and across from Genma. A pretty young girl in a frilly white apron over a candy striped uniform came by to take their drink orders. Genma ordered a large bottle of their finest sake, expecting to share with everyone, but Shizune and Kaori ordered a pot of green tea. They knew unexpected things, often bad, could happen with too much sake. After settling down, they took turns getting food or holding their seats. It was exciting just watching the sumptuous food of different shapes and colors slowly roll by. Kaori took just two dishes to start while the others took many more, somehow balancing them all on their outstretched arms.

After the initial small talk about the restaurant décor and the assortment of appealing dishes, conversation drifted to what happened at the museum. At first it was just a rehash of what they saw and what they found interesting, but the three shinobi were all dying to know what was up with Kakashi. The Kakashi they knew avoided company. He did not normally insinuate himself into other people's affairs or rudely interrupt conversations. He had nothing against Raidou, that they knew of, so they all concluded that the pretty little nurse must have been his target.

Raidou gave his friend a look with a raised eyebrow from across the table. Genma gently prodded Shizune with his elbow, indicating that she should ask Kaori. Since Shizune was a girl, and Kaori's friend, it would be less awkward for her to ask, the two men reasoned.

Shizune did not like to pry into other people's lives, but she was also overwhelmed with curiosity since Kaori had never mentioned Kakashi in all this time. "So, umm, Kaori-san, were you and Kakashi-san somehow involved?" she asked hesitantly.

"Involved? Well, only in a professional sense. I looked after him while he was in a coma," Kaori replied, not wanting to admit she had stalked him for a while.

"Well, he seems interested in you," Raidou said bluntly. "Of course I'd completely understand if you prefer to be with him. I know _his_ face is perfectly fine even though he wears a mask. I considered that, but the way my face is damaged, it'd be hard to cover just the left side. I don't want to cover my left eye. That ruins your depth perception."

"You don't need to hide behind a mask. I think you look fine." Kaori smiled, trying her hardest to be nice, but all the while thinking of Kakashi's fine smooth skin rather than Raidou's ragged scars. But she did mean it. Sitting on Raidou's right side, the view wasn't so bad at all.

She decided to examine the conveyor belt for desserts and excused herself as the three shinobi continued to work on their other dishes. There was a decent assortment of colorful sweets: mochi with red bean paste, or sesame paste, or strawberry flavored filling or orange flavored fillings; little custard tarts; tiny taiyaki cakes filled with either red bean paste or custard; skewered dango of various colors…

"Those look good, don't they," said a lovely lush voice right by her left ear.

Kaori turned her head slightly and found Kakashi leaning over her shoulder - way too close to be appropriate.

"I…er…" Kaori stammered in her surprise. He was so close she could feel his breath on her ear. It tickled. There was just something about this man which simultaneously aggravated her and attracted her. But before she could organize her thoughts or feelings, Raidou appeared protectively by her side.

"I thought you had guard duty, Kakashi-san," Raidou said dangerously.

Kakashi shrugged and replied, "I left a kage bunshin there. No one will notice. Thought I'd skip out to grab a meal."

"Right, at the same restaurant."

Kakashi shrugged again. "Konoha's pretty small you know."

Before Raidou could respond again, Kaori grabbed his arm and pulled him back toward the table.

She was confused. What was Kakashi doing here? Was he really here to pick up dinner or was he stalking her? And why would he stalk her when he was the one who clearly wasn't interested in the first place?

"What's going on over there?" Genma asked when the two returned.

"Kakashi's being his usual pain-in-the-ass-self," muttered his friend.

"That's not a nice thing to say," said a lovely lush lulling voice with a hint of laziness.

All four heads turned in the direction of the voice which came from behind Raidou and Kaori. The sharingan user had hypnotized the couple sitting in the booth behind them into leaving. Kakashi now occupied it alone except for his dish of octopus balls and a skewer of dango. But he wasn't eating. He still had his mask on and was obviously eavesdropping on their conversation.

"That's it! I think we need to talk, Kakashi-san." Kaori stood up and angrily walked over to the other table. "Stop following me. I'm not interested. Get that through your thick head. If you can't, maybe a haircut will help."

He shrugged as if he had no clue what she was talking about. Then he motioned for a waitress. "I think I'll take these to go," he said coolly, as if her words had not hurt him at all.

Raidou stood up as Kaori returned and waited like a perfect gentleman for her to sit down again. He gave her one of his very rare smiles, though it was more of a half smile. Since he rarely smiled or laughed at all, the muscles just couldn't go any further due to atrophy.

It was not everyday, or ever, that a woman would choose to be with him, Namiashi Raidou with the ravaged face, over Konoha's perfect prodigy, Hatake Kakashi. He had not wanted to go on another double date with his friend Genma. It always ended in heartbreak for him. In the past he would get his hopes up, but they were soon dashed and ground into the dirt by high-heeled sandals, usually after one date.

For a while he thought it was because they couldn't help but compare him to his handsome friend. But even when he went on solo dates, the results were the same. If anything, the dates were worse. He was innately taciturn and found small talk tedious and meaningless, so he struggled to find common ground with his dates. But with Genma, he felt more relaxed, just knowing his friend was there to help him out.

But each time, he could see the revulsion and disappointment in their eyes, even in the nice ones who didn't want to hurt his feelings. Some of them didn't bother to try to hide it, like that other nurse Otoha, who practically laughed at him when he paid her a compliment.

After so many negative experiences, he no longer had any expectations of love or finding someone special.

But maybe Kaori was someone special.

-…-…-…-…-

_Author's notes: I always wanted to write a RaidouxShizunexGenma story. I might make that sort of a sequel to this story._


	25. Kakashi's Genin

-…-…-…-…-

_**Kakashi's Genin**_

It was Sunday, but Kaori was at work, filling in for a nurse who called in sick that morning. Last night's events coupled with this unwelcome development made her doubly cranky. And to top it off, Otoha was on duty so that made her triply cranky.

Otoha came to work carrying a heart shaped box of expensive chocolates with truffle cream filling. She opened it slowly in front of Kaori while smiling all the while. "Would you like one, Kaori-san?" she asked sweetly.

Kaori immediately became suspicious. Otoha had never offered her any chocolates before. "No, thank you. That's very high in calories," she said pointedly.

"I can handle it. I mean all the exercise I've been getting with Gai-sensei..." Otoha said as she stretched her arms above her head and thrusted out her ample chest.

"That's nice. Don't you have work to do? Don't get chocolate on the forms." Kaori slammed a stack of paperwork on Otoha's desk.

"Oh, I'll be careful. So, have you gotten anything like this from your new beau?"

"My new beau?"

"I heard you were out with Raidou, Mr. Half-man Half-melted wax mannequin. Really Kaori, I didn't realize you were so desperate. Just because things didn't work out with Houshou, or Gai, or Kakashi…"

"There's nothing wrong with Raidou. He was injured fighting for Konoha like many other honorable shinobi," Kaori said defensively, all the while feeling very hypocritical because she had thought the same thing herself. "And my private life is none of your business. Save your candy for later and get back to work or…"

"Right boss, whatever you say." Otoha smiled sarcastically and very carefully put her heart shaped box in full sight of all visitors.

Kaori's teeth were very straight and even – thanks to grinding her teeth from dealing with Otoha on an almost daily basis. She had tried not to think too much about last night's events but now she couldn't help but review what happened again.

Why did she snap at Kakashi? He seemed like he was actually interested in her now and wasn't that what she wanted all along? Maybe he was done with the ramen girl. Maybe she should forgive him for standing her up. Why did she brush him off so easily while it took her so long to get rid of Gai whom she didn't want at all? But her pride said no way could she forgive something like that. Was she using Raidou to get back at Kakashi? No, she wasn't such a horrible person. She wouldn't use someone like that.

Raidou, from what she gleaned on their first date, was a serious and strong man. He was blunt with words and spare with humor. She did not feel comfortable with someone so dour. He was an introvert and she could tell he was making a monumental effort to join in conversations. Only when he was speaking on his favorite subjects did he seem at ease. He also seemed like the jealous type, hot-headed and irascible. The way he jumped to protect her from Kakashi was flattering, but also intimidating since he was not officially her boyfriend. It was just a first date and just a double-date at that, which only counted as half a date. He had no claim to her and should not have been so confrontational with Kakashi. But that also showed that he valued her and that's what she wanted.

His comrade in arms seemed more desirable. Genma was calm and casual, much like Kakashi not only in looks. But Kakashi had a flippant attitude while Genma was appropriately serious when the occasion required it. Genma did have a tendency to go on tangents with his philosophical musings, which made him seem rather pretentious, Kaori evaluated.

Neither was as good as Kakashi.

So it seemed, after all these years of dating, there was no such thing as the perfect man. She had to lower her standards or be willing to face a life alone. With that as an unfathomable option, Kaori had agreed to go on another date with Raidou.

He had said, "Tonight wasn't that bad, was it? I'd like to see you again. Of course, I'll completely understand if you say no. I mean after Kakashi, I must seem like a let down."

How could she say no to that? If she turned down Raidou just because of his looks, she would be more shallow and lower than Otoha.

Kaori's thoughts were interrupted by a ruckus at the hospital entrance. She could hear raised voices arguing loudly. She got up from her station to investigate, while Otoha continued to file her nails. It was Kakashi's genin who were the source of the disturbance.

"I'm fine! I don't need to be here. Sasuke's the one who needs to be babied!" Naruto protested.

"You're not fine!" Sakura hit him on the arm. Naruto grimaced. "See, you're hurt too," Sakura said pointedly.

"That's because you just hit me!"

"Shut up, idiot. Just get checked out. They won't let you on another mission until you do," growled Sasuke.

"That's right, Naruto-san," Kaori said as she walked over. "What happened? Did you get hurt on a mission?" She noted that Naruto's orange jacket and pants were ripped and dirty. There were a few bloodstains on his clothes but from what she could tell, his exposed skin looked fine.

"I didn't, but Sasuke sure did!" Naruto gleefully explained.

Sasuke said nothing, but he looked ready to kill Naruto, even if he had to rip out his jugular with his teeth.

Kaori noted that Sasuke looked like he was limping. He was holding his left shoulder with his right hand in pain. His clothes were in the same condition as Naruto's, but there were visible bruises, lacerations, and puncture wounds on his face, arms and legs.

"How about you Sakura-san?" Kaori looked over at Sakura who appeared to be the only one without any obvious injuries. Her red dress was a bit dirty but otherwise in good condition.

"It's just these two who need to be looked at. I…er…wasn't involved with all the fighting," she admitted shamefacedly.

"All right, Naruto-san you wait in exam room one and Sasuke-san in room two please. Sakura-san you can wait in the lounge. I'll page the medics."

Since it was not an emergency, Iashi, the medic currently on duty, instructed Kaori to perform the standard tests while he finished his rounds. Kaori first checked in on Sasuke, the more serious case.

The boy glared at her with his dark eyes. Kaori, used to that look from uncooperative patients, paid it no mind at all. She instructed Sasuke to remove his arm warmers so she could take his blood pressure. She noticed his blue shirt was not only ripped and dirty, but also singed. They must have been on a tough mission.

"So, Sasuke-san," the nurse said brightly, "how did your mission go? My, you look bigger and stronger every time I see you."

"Hmmf, maybe you should get your eyes checked," he said in his usual cold voice. Having been beaten by the ex-Konoha/Rain shinobi Aoi, he was in no mood for banter, especially since his archrival Naruto was the successful one.

Kaori decided to use the oral thermometer instead of the ear thermometer on the rude boy. She stuck it a bit roughly in his mouth and wrapped the blood pressure monitor a bit too tightly. His blood pressure was normal but his temperature was a bit elevated. Next she drew some blood to screen for any poisons the enemy might have used.

"The medic will be here shortly. Since your temperature's a bit high and I noticed a number of contusions on your body and head, you'll probably be kept for observation."

"Since when did you get your degree and become a doctor? I though nurses weren't allowed to make those decisions," Sasuke sneered.

"I'm just giving you my experienced opinion." Kaori smiled tightly, while thinking how someone needed to take that boy across his lap and apply a nice big solid paddle. Then she reminded herself that the poor boy had nobody to reprimand him. His family had been massacred years ago. She smiled again, more gently this time. "I'm sure you'll be fine. It's just precautionary. I'm grateful the village has such talented young shinobi like you to protect us."

Sasuke did not deign to reply. He never knew how to respond to kindness.

Kaori left him with orders to change into a medical gown for a full exam by the medics. Next she went to look in on Naruto. She also took his blood pressure and temperature (with an ear thermometer) and checked for wounds. There seemed to be little wrong with him that a bath couldn't remedy.

"So Naruto-san," she said while they waited for a medic, "how was your mission?"

"Super! We got to visit Tea Country and participate in the shrine race! And I was the hero, as usual."

"Is it hard for your team to be without your sensei? I guess you don't see him much now that he's on solo missions and with his new girlfriend. He must have little time for you."

"Huh? You mean Kakashi-sensei or Iruka-sensei? You must be confused. Kakashi-sensei's our team leader. Iruka-sensei's the one with the girl."

Kaori did a double take. Her hands shook so much, she nearly dropped the thermometer she was sterilizing with alcohol. "You mean Iruka-sensei is the one going out with the I-chi-ra-ku ra-men waitress?" she asked the question slowly, making sure her words were perfectly clear.

"Of course. What girl would want a lazy weird pervert like Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yes, ha-ha, of course." Kaori felt like shoving the thermometer into her own ears.

-…-…-…-

Kaori had pushed Kakashi away, twice, just as he actually showed interest. She had assumed that he stood her up for the ramen girl when he wasn't to blame at all. Now it was too late - she had made her bed without realizing the sheets were the wrong size but she had to sleep in it. It was all her fault, again. No wonder why none of her relationships worked out. She was the recurrent factor. She was selfish and judgmental, domineering and demanding, while pretending to be this wonderful compassionate caregiver. Even Otoha was better - at least she did not pretend to be anything else.

Somehow Kaori managed to hold it together at the hospital. She did it by shutting down all sensory input. She went about her work mechanically, all the while thinking sadly, _'I'm just a pretentious, faithless fool. Stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid...'_

Some of her patients thought she had been replaced by an automaton. She worked in stunned silence and did not heed their requests for water or anything else. She just performed the routine tests without smiling or speaking.

She did not say anything to anyone the rest of her time at work. Her subordinates saw that her eyes had glazed over as if she had been hypnotized. They thought about report it to the medics but a silent Kaori meant fewer orders from her and more free time for them. And it was the perfect opportunity to ask for time off, a change in schedule, even a raise. Kaori just nodded absently at every request.

She depended on instinct and routine to get her through the rest of the day. As soon as the clock struck five, she picked up her bag and left the hospital. Her feet walked the path they had walked for years, not stopping for food or to say hello to those who waved at her.

Back at home, she dropped her bag on the floor and closed the door without locking it. She sat in the nearest chair in silence until the sun started to set. There were no tears. After crying so many times for the man she wanted, there was no point anymore. Her emotions had effectively shut down to prevent her from feeling any further pain. It was an autonomic response, survivor's instinct.

The only thought that continuously reverberated in her mind was "stupid faithless fool."

Some time after the sun had gone down, someone knocked hard on her door. Kaori did not bother to answer it. But she had left the door open and the person slipped in.

"Kaori-san? Are you all right? I knocked but you didn't answer. The door was opened so I was concerned. I guess you fell asleep in your chair. You must have had a tough day. I'll understand if you want to cancel our date tonight."

Kaori had forgotten that she had a date with Raidou. The last thing she wanted to do was to go on a date, but she robotically rose from her chair to get dressed, all the while thinking, what did it matter, Kakashi was gone forever.

-...-...-...-

_Author's Notes: I'll be incorporating some more canon elements now that it's near the end._


	26. Stalking Shinobi Style

_**Stalking – Shinobi Style**_

"I can't believe it. I just can't believe it," moaned the Obito voice.

"Believe it," replied the voice's host. Kakashi sighed as he lay on his bed looking up at the blank ceiling. He had just returned from his guard duty at the museum.

"There's no way that pretty little nurse prefers Raidou over us. Just look at his face!"

"Do you know what's the difference between being scarred and showing it and not being scarred and hiding it?" said Kakashi thoughtfully.

"Umm, is that a rhetorical question?"

"Do you know what rhetorical means?"

"Er, not really."

"Sigh.

"So stop wearing your mask! She'll go back to you in no time. Never understood why you have that fixation in the first place."

"It's a family custom."

"Family of weirdoes!"

"Idiot! The answer to the question is…"

"I thought rhetorical means there's no answer."

"Sigh. Not exactly. It means…what I mean to say is she prefers him, period, okay?"

"But look at his face!"

"Apparently she's not as shallow as the women you prefer. Besides, you're one to talk."

"What's that supposed to mean?" The Obito voice sounded angry now.

"Let's face it. You never got compliments on your looks."

"What? Rin once said I was cute."

"She said that to bugs, too." Kakashi smiled a bit while reminiscing about his past comrades.

"Okay, that's it! I was going to help you with that nurse, but now you can just forget it!"

"I don't need your help."

"Oh, yes, you do!"

"Just forget it."

"Forget it? No way! Now it's a matter of pride. You have to win her away." Somehow Obito just did a 360.

"What I need is a low stress distraction," Kakashi mumbled.

"Oh? Like what?"

"Let's go see 'Make Out Violence' again..."

After washing up a bit and eating a quick dinner, Kakashi headed over to the movie theater. He had seen "Make-Out Violence" five times already, but it was his favorite movie next to "Make-Out Paradise." He couldn't wait until the DVD special edition came out.

Kakashi walked with his usual slow saunter as the Obito voice continued to whine in the background.

"I don't wanna see that movie again! I wanna real woman. One we can touch. Okay, forget the nurse. Anyone one will do. Let's go to Otafuka, you got paid last week, right?"

But Kakashi was in no mood for another meaningless one night stand. The events of the previous night still disturbed him. He did not want to admit to himself that any woman could so easily forget about him and move on to someone else. Despite his apparent nonchalance, he still had a very stubborn, very arrogant streak inherent within him. His pride could not so easily let it go.

A block away from the theater, Kakashi's sharp eagle-eye vision spied the pretty little nurse with her new beau. Her hand clung to his arm and surprisingly, she stood on Raidou's left side.

Part of Kakashi told him to turn around and go home, but the less rational Obito part insisted on following them. Kakashi gave in to Obito's wishes and transformed himself into a generic looking villager with plain grey robes. With his superior hearing and eyesight, he saw them buy a ticket to the new "Gone with the Wind" movie. It wasn't his sort of movie as it was only rated PG-13, but he bought a ticket and entered the theater, carefully walking far enough behind them so they wouldn't notice him.

He was curious to see what Kaori saw in Raidou, who was as exciting as a plank of wood and about as much fun as removing a splinter from under a nail. Was he the kind of man she wanted? Serious, responsible, he would make a good provider, Kakashi had to admit.

He sat in the back row where he could see Kaori and Raidou sitting five rows in front of him. The theater was quite crowded since it was a recent movie, but there was no mistaking the two of them with Raidou's spiky hair and Kaori's characteristic bun. He could see Kaori crying at all the tearjerker scenes no matter how cliché and shameless. She used up all her tissues so Raidou lent her a handkerchief (it was actually cut from bandages). _'How prosaic,'_ Kakashi thought. He also saw Raidou giving Kaori sidelong glances throughout the movie as if to assure himself that she was still with him.

Halfway through the movie Kakashi observed Raidou trying to make the classic move – a yawn and stretch to put his arm around Kaori's shoulders. Kakashi picked up a piece of popcorn from the floor, angled it so that the trajectory could not be traced back to him, and threw it at Raidou's head.

Interrupted, Raidou abandoned his attempt to look around for the culprit. Kakashi, sitting in the back and looking innocent, hardly seemed like a likely candidate compare to some of the rowdy teenagers. Raidou frowned and glared warningly at all the younger folks. Each time Raidou made an attempt to put his arm around Kaori, Kakashi would throw something he picked up from the ground like popcorn, jujubes, peanuts, good and plenty, and other candy. Each time Raidou abandoned his attempt to knock away the projectory before it hit him. Each time he glared at the suspicious characters. But he did not want to make a scene in front of Kaori so after several attempts, he gave up, to Kakashi's satisfaction.

The movie was a nice dramatic romance though there were parts that could use some more _oomph_, not nearly as good as "Make-Out Violence" Kakashi evaluated, though the lead female was definitely doable. He knew he hadn't read the book before, but parts of the movie seemed very familiar. Kakashi couldn't place the déjà vu feeling. The ending was classically tragic with the male lead dying in sacrifice for his love and the female lead crying piteously over his body.

'_Who would cry for me?'_ he thought. There were a few who would shed some tears, but no one would cry for him like that - a heart rending anguish cry of the deepest grief. No, no one at all.

The credits rolled before he knew it and he had to admit the movie was better than he had expected. It did not have the humor of the "Make-Out" movies but the chemistry and emotions portrayed by the characters seemed genuine.

His targets filed out with the rest of the audience. Kakashi stayed behind, thinking about his next step.

So what was he doing? Stalking a woman who no longer wanted him? Pursuing a relationship that never existed? And if he had her alone to himself what would he say? That he was wrong for treating her so poorly after all she had done for him? That he was a first class idiot? And even if she still wanted him, what would be the point? There would be no happily ever after. If anything, he'd end up like the protagonist in the movie he just saw, and she'd be crying over his body. He did not want anyone crying over him like that. It was better to die unloved than to hurt the ones you loved.

His serious musings was interrupted by the Obito voice who chimed in, _'What's the matter with you? They're getting away. Move it!' _

Despite his misgivings he transformed into a buxom platinum blonde with red eyes and a short yellow dress - so short, his long silvery white hair touched the hem.

'_Oooo, nice,"_' said the Obito voice.

'_Naruto's influence,_' Kakashi replied wryly. He wasn't sure why he chose that look, but he wanted to attract attention this time. And should he need his sharingan, the red eyes would mask it. After a second thought, he reduced the size of the bust to a respectable 36C, bigger than Kaori, but not to big to look like a skank, and shortened the hair to waist length.

He followed the unsuspecting couple to the most expensive restaurant in town - a hibachi steakhouse with the finest cuts of beef and expensive bottles of sake. Kakashi winced at the thought of how much it would cost him for a single drink, but he purposefully entered the restaurant and sat down at the bar.

He need not have worried about the cost as several single men eyed him immediately. The boldest, a tall well built dark haired man, came up to hit on him first. "Hey honey, love your dress. How 'bout I join you or you join me for a drink?" he slurred.

Kakashi's transformed rosy lips curled in a seductive smile and he nodded his approval, but as soon as he got his little bottle of expensive sake, he subtly hypnotized Asuma to leave him alone. '_Thought he was with Kurenai. Wait till I tell her about this. No, I'll hold it over him instead._' More men came up to him, but he hypnotized them all to go away, though he did have a passing thought about a particularly handsome young blonde man.

He observed Raidou and Kaori drinking sake and talking. He had the ability to read lips and he could concentrate chakra to his ears to sensitize his hearing. Kakashi decided on the latter as he did not what anyone to notice he was staring at the couple. He slowly nursed his drink as he eavesdropped.

"That was a good movie wasn't it?" Raidou asked.

"Yes, I've read the book."

"Was it a faithful adaption?"

"The main storyline was the same, but there were more subplots and detours in the book, of course."

"So is that the type of movie you like?"

"You mean romance? Yes, I guess so, but I like all types," Kaori hastily added in case Raidou was put of by chick flicks. "What about you?"

"Documentaries mostly, it's always good to learn something. I don't usually read or watch fiction, sort of a waste of time, in my opinion. But, er, this was a nice change," Raidou quickly added so he wouldn't seem too stuffy.

Kakashi yawned. Raidou had the personality of a piece of chalk. _'Documentaries, imagine that, as if facing real life every minute of the day wasn't enough. How could anyone not escape into fantasy?'_

The small talk continued as Kaori feigned interest in documentaries and Raidou feigned interest in romantic fiction and as Kakashi listened in, getting more bored by the second. Kaori definitely seemed more interesting before. He wondered if he were remembering things incorrectly. After all, when one got down to it, there were women better looking (himself included), with better bodies, smarter, with better wit, more interesting and exciting. So why was he sitting in a bar looking like he wanted to be picked up by a man? Maybe it was something subliminal. He wondered what she did to him while he was unconscious.

Still he stayed and when the couple left, he transformed again, this time to a young boy of eight. He followed them to Kaori's apartment. The trick in stalking, shinobi-style, was repeated transformations, but not to the same generic looking type individuals - to a shinobi that could be suspicious. The best thing to do was to alternate from someone quiet to someone who stood out. Now as the little boy, Kakashi picked up a stick and some stones from the ground. He threw a stone in the air, then hit it with a stick. Thanks to his expert eye and reflexes, the stone hit Raidou squarely in the back of the head. Or it would have but Raidou was no slouch and he caught the stone in his right hand before it made contact.

Boy Kakashi looked scared and quickly said, "Sorry mister, didn't mean to do that!" He ran away and hid behind a tree.

"Kids today have no respect," grumbled Raidou angrily.

"He was just playing around. It was an accidental. He didn't mean to hurt you," Kaori said in defense of the boy.

Raidou frowned and forced himself not to argue. The little nurse was too nice and naïve. These kids were future shinobi, future killing machines. He was sure that kid did it on purpose to test him.

Kakashi waited outside Kaori's building, timing how long it would take Raidou to come out. A simple good-bye at the door shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes. A nightcap would be another half hour to an hour. Anything more than that was cause for concern.

Raidou came out in about five minutes, looking none too pleased, but that was his usual look.

A platinum blonde with an ideal bust sidled up to the lonely scarred jounin. "Hey mister, I noticed you at the restaurant. How 'bout you lose the pseudo redhead and come with me." Kakashi smiled seductively.

'_A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,' _Raidou instinctively thought, but then shook off such unfaithful considerations. He was with Kaori now, and he would wait, even though it had been a while. "Sorry, miss, thank you for the offer, maybe another time."

"Suit yourself. You don't know what you're missing out on. You know, I can be very discreet." Kakashi gave him a wink, leaned in closer, and slightly jiggled his transformed chest.

What man could resist something like that?

-...-...-...-


	27. Rooftop Rivals

_**Rooftop Rivals**_

Another sunny morning in Konoha, with laundry hanging outside on clotheslines, drying naturally by the wind's gentle breath. Things were quiet at the hospital. There were few rooms occupied and few staff members around. It was a nice quiet morning - soon to be disrupted.

One room was occupied by a boy and a girl, both physically on the verge of adulthood, but their experience was years more advanced. They had both seen people die, people killed - especially the boy.

Sakura sat by Sasuke's bed, cutting and peeling an apple for the apple of her eye. But Sasuke was in a foul, foul, bitter mood. He had spent a sleepless night at the hospital brooding over Naruto's power. How was it that that fool was able to defeat Gaara of the Desert and Aoi the missing-nin while he, Uchiha Sasuke, promising prodigy, sharingan wielder, turned out to be nothing but an impotent child. His efforts were futile. He was swatted away like a fly both times. And that moron Naruto reaped the glory. The humiliation was unbearable.

But what made it even worse was the presence of Sakura. The girl who idolized him, who saw only his positive aspects, none of his flaws. The way she doted on him sickened him because there was no basis for her devotion. He could not protect her against Gaara, he could not complete his mission against Aoi. How could he hold his head up in front of her or anybody else?

Naruto got strong, very strong. Training with who? Not Kakashi. Naruto was training with one of the legendary sannin, Jiraiya. Someone better than Kakashi. He should have been the one to train with someone like that. Someone worthy of his potential. Not Kakashi. Not Kakashi with his insipid lectures on teamwork and friendship.

Kakashi had taught him how to increase his speed to utilize his sharingan effectively, some taijutsu moves, and the chidori. But Kakashi's sole original jutsu was not as special as it seemed. It failed to take down Gaara. It failed against Itachi. It failed again against Aoi. He needed more power.

What was he doing in Konoha? Spinning his wheels going nowhere, while Itachi was out there free, roaming around, doing whatever he wanted, going wherever he wanted, wreaking whatever havoc he wanted. He had to catch up with Itachi. As fast as possible or he might never be able to reach him at all.

"Here Sasuke-kun, I peeled and sliced an apple for you. Just the way you like it," Sakura held out a pieced for him with the knife.

Sasuke knocked it out of her hand. His reaction surprised her so much she dropped the bowl and the other slices on the floor. He did not bother to apologize. Instead, he glared at his other visitor.

Naruto had just opened the door, prompting Sasuke's angry reaction to the offered apple. The sight of the dumb blonde set off the time bomb building within Sasuke. Why him? Why did Itachi want Naruto? Itachi had ignored him as if he was nothing but a nuisance. Instead, he was interested in Naruto. What was so special about this incompetent idiot?

"Hey, you okay Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked as the knife, bowl and cut fruit clattered to the floor.

"I'm fine. My hand slipped," Sakura said, trying to excuse Sasuke's outrageous behavior.

"No, it didn't. I saw it. Sasuke did it. Say sorry to Sakura-chan!" Naruto ordered.

"Go to hell, bastard," Sasuke growled back.

Naruto had expectant a not too pleasant, but somewhat friendly visit with his teammate/rival, but all he got for his concern was a glare from the somber dark-haired dark-eyed boy. He was hoping to have some fun rubbing in the fact that Sasuke was injured while he was fine. But it seemed Sasuke was even more pissy than usual.

"Fight me," Sasuke said abruptly.

Naruto was taken aback for a second, but he slowly smiled and nodded. "Right, I was thinking the same thing."

"Wait, what are you two doing?" Sakura tried to block the door, but Sasuke pushed her roughly aside.

"Stay out of this Sakura-chan," Naruto said seriously.

"No, stop you two, please…" Sakura begged futilely, but she could do nothing but watch in despair as her two teammates climbed the stairs to the roof of the hospital. She didn't know to do. All she knew was she couldn't stop them

-…-…-…-

Kaori was the only nurse on duty today since she had, in her dazed state after learning the truth about Kakashi, unknowingly granted leave to everyone who had asked her yesterday. She had completed the morning rounds by herself and now sat at her desk slowly shuffling papers from one pile to another, not really doing any work at all.

She was trying not to think about Kakashi but to concentrate on Raidou instead. They had a nice night out. The movie was good, but it reminded her of how she read the original novel to Kakashi and that made her cry even more than usual. Raidou took her to the best restaurant in town which was impressive, but she had little appetite so all they had were drinks and appetizers. Such a wasted dinner, she sighed, maybe he'll take her there again. It seemed that he genuinely liked her. She liked him well enough, but there were no bells or music in the air, or the scent of roses, or stars in her eyes. She liked him about as much as she liked most people who were nice to her. But she had sworn to herself to give him a chance. Even if she wasn't in love with him, it didn't mean she couldn't love him, in time. As long as he was a good person, that was all that should matter, shouldn't it?

Yet thoughts of Kakashi kept diminishing her resolve. Was it just because of his looks that she fell in love with him? Was she that shallow? Wasn't there something more to him that she loved? She tried to think back to what attracted her beside his looks, maybe Raidou had the same aspects.

Physique, both were quite tall, both well built, no - that counted as looks, what else… Background, both were orphaned at a young age, so were most shinobi their age who had shinobi parents, thanks to the Great Ninja Wars. Talent, both were jounin, but Kakashi was more well known and respected and probably wealthier, but success shouldn't matter that much. Personality, that was most important. Kakashi had an aloof air, a cool detached nonchalance, but undercut with mischievousness. There was something exciting about him and he could be charming and amusing when he wanted to be and there was always warmth in his voice when he spoke of his genin. Raidou failed in comparison. He was serious, too serious, lackluster, but he seemed like the faithful type, conservative and considerate. Interests, Kakashi liked romantic adult novels, but Raidou preferred educational material. She liked a mix of both but had to admit she leaned toward Kakashi's tastes. But couples didn't necessary need to have the same interests or personalities. In fact, personalities and interests should be complementary, she reasoned, stretching to give Raidou extra points.

At her age, she could no longer pick and choose. She needed someone who would make a good father. Raidou seemed like the stern disciplinarian while Kakashi seemed more like the fun dad who gave horseback rides. Raidou would keep the kids in line which would be less stressful for her. Kakashi looked like the type to join the kids' hi-jinks and give her more headaches. Raidou was really the better choice, she reasoned.

After some time together, Raidou was sure to loosen up. She could spend the rest of her life with him, couldn't she? She tried to imagine them being permanently together, but couldn't. She tried to imagine the two of them in bed, but she couldn't. Still she stubbornly ignored her instincts and desperately fixated on Raidou being Mr. Right. After all, what other choice did she have?

Kaori's obsessive musings were interrupted by a hysterical voicing screaming, "Fight! Fight! Please you have to stop the fight!"

She broke out of her reverie and saw Sakura running toward her. She calmly asked the genin to explain herself, while she took out a brush and scroll, prepared to write an emergency message.

"Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun are fighting on top of the roof. Someone has to stop them or they'll kill each other!"

"I'll send out an emergency message to Kakashi-sensei while you try to stall them," Kaori immediately decided. "He should still be on guard duty at the museum."

Sakura nodded and ran off to the roof, thankful there was hope that Kakashi would arrive in time.

Kaori took out an emergency summoning scroll from her desk to summon the fastest of the hospital's messenger birds. She quickly performed the activation seal and a peregrine falcon appeared as the smoke dissipated. "Fly as fast as you can to Kakashi-sensei. He should be at the museum." She decided to dispense with the note. "Tell him to come to the hospital immediately, Naruto and Sasuke are fighting. If he's not there, fly around the village. He might see it or someone who knows where he is will see it," Kaori said. The bird nodded and quickly flew off.

Then she tried to page the medics, but no one answered her calls. There should have been two medics on duty according to the roster. Where were they? Men's room? At the same time? She groaned at the coincidence and decided to go up to the roof herself to see if there was anything she could do at all. Maybe the presence of an authoritative adult figure like herself would induce them to stop.

Even before she reached the roof she felt the pulsing of chakra in the air. This was a serious fight, with near killing intent. She quickly ran the rest of the way.

But she arrived too late to do anything. When she arrived, all she saw was Sakura crying pathetically like a little twelve year old girl instead of a tough kunoichi, and her sensei trying futilely to comfort her. The two boys were nowhere in sight.

"Don't worry," she heard Kakashi say, "everything will be all right." He smiled reassuring from under his mask.

Kakashi noticed Kaori's presence and looked in her direction. He gave her a nod of appreciation, realizing she was the one who had sent the messenger bird. Then he cocked his head in Sakura's direction, as if instructing Kaori to watch over his little kunoichi while he pursued his other genin.

That look, that look he gave Sakura, that look he gave her. A comforting warm look, full of sincerity and confidence, a look that made her skin tingle all over. Even though most of his face was covered, she could see it from his eye, hear it in his voice, feel it from his words. Kaori finally admitted to herself that she was still in love with Kakashi. She realized at this moment she was likely to love him forever, whether she could have him or not, whether he could love her or not. There was no one else who had ever made her feel that way.

Kaori nodded back and place her arm comfortingly around Sakura's shoulders. "That's the way boys and men are," Kaori said. "They're competitive and aggressive even with their own friends. And you know, you guys are at that age when hormones take over any reason. I'm sure things will go back to normal once Kakashi-sensei has a talk with them."

Sakura sighed and shook her head. "They never listen to Kakashi-sensei. It's been over a year since we've been a team and it's just like day one. Those two are just too stubborn. Sigh, none of the other genin teams have this problem."

"I'm sure all teams have their own problems. Don't worry too much. It'll give you wrinkles prematurely." Kaori smiled to show she still had no wrinkles.

"Really?" Sakura stopped crying as she considered the validity of this beauty tip. _'Sasuke-kun wouldn't like me with wrinkles.' _

"Of course. Look at me, guess how old I am."

"Umm…thirty two?"

"WHAT?!"

"Oh, I meant that since you're now the Head Nurse you must have been here a long time. Buy you don't look older than twenty," Sakura quickly explained. But she really thought Kaori was at least 25.

"That's better. Look, see, no wrinkles." It was actually thanks to her mother's beauty treatment once a month. Kaori actually worried a lot, especially about her love life. "Anyway, why don't you help me clean up the mess."

Kaori surveyed the roof and sighed. It was a mess with water everywhere. The sheets that had been hanging out to dry were all dirty, ripped or scorched. Most of the sheets were damaged beyond repair. The two water tanks had gaping holes and no water. They would have to call in shinobi who specialized in metal and wood jutsu to repair the water tanks, and another specializing in water to fill them.

Poor Kakashi-sensei, to have two such troublesome charges. Kaori shook her head sadly. Who would have thought that Sasuke would be such trouble. Naruto was well known throughout Konoha not only for being the ninetail fox container, but also for being a mischievous brat. Since he became a genin, he seemed to be more responsible and there were no longer weekly complaints about his pranks, but now this. Tsunade-sama was not going to be happy about this at all.

Then she sighed again. She had to break up with Raidou. She had to tell him the truth - that she loved Kakashi and no other. Raidou was not going to be happy about that at all.

-...-...-...-


	28. Raidou's Mission

_Author's notes: Sorry it took so long to update. I was away for three weeks on a business trip and had no internet access :(_

-...-...-...-...-

_**Raidou's Mission**_

Raidou was no fool, and he hated more than anything to be played for a fool. Beautiful women did not come up to him and proposition themselves - unless they wanted to be paid. His instincts automatically told him that the bold blonde with the ideal bust was up to something. He squinted his eyes and looked hard at her.

"What exactly do you want, Kakashi?" he growled.

The bodacious blonde blinked in surprise. "Who me?" Kakashi purred.

"Yes, you, Hatake Kakashi. You can't fool me. I'm a jounin too you know. I can see through your henge."

Kakashi remained nonplussed. He shrugged and said in a sweet soprano voice, "Well, I'm still available." He then smiled and winked, still in his transformed state.

"Does this have something to do with Kaori-san?" Raidou asked bluntly, his brow furrowing in anger. "You can forget it. I'm not interested in other women, or men, and especially not a trashy one."

"Trashy?" Kakashi frowned and transformed his hair to pile it up high and artistically curled on top of his head. His dress hemmed flowed down to ankle length and the neck line rose up. Now he looked like a classic goddess. "This more to your liking?" Kakashi persisted.

"Y…No! I don't know what you're trying to accomplish by doing this, but you can forget it." Raidou walked away angrily, though feeling a bit conflicted. The blonde was a knockout - the most beautiful, exotic looking woman he had ever seen.

Kakashi finally transformed back to his regular self. Raidou had passed the test. He was faithful to Kaori. He was good enough for her. Kakashi could now give her up without further regrets.

-…-…-…-

That was three days ago. Now Raidou was heading back to Konoha from his mission with Genma, Shizune and Iwashi, a chuunin with hopes of making jounin. They were sent to patrol the northern border, checking out rumors of Orochimaru's movements. They found no validity to the rumors, no sign of Sound-nin. Orochimaru seemed to be lying low after his confrontation with Tsunade and Jiraiya months ago. Tsunade recalled them after their initial report of no findings since there were more missions still pending.

Raidou did not like long missions - they interfered with his routine. That's why he preferred the position of the Hokage's bodyguard. But Tsunade had Shizune as her attendant and she didn't feel that she needed a bodyguard (not that Sandaime needed one either - it was all for show). That was fine with Raidou as he found the new Hokage to be lacking in every Hokage requirement compared to the Great Professor. The woman was an insufferable alcoholic, bad tempered, rude and crass. Sure she was powerful, strong, the legendary healer, but she was nothing compare to the Third. He sighed as he thought of his former boss - patient and kind, wonderful and wise. Was he prejudiced because he was still faithful to Sandaime? No, Tsunade was definitely lacking in every virtue, especially diplomacy. He couldn't understand how Shizune put up with her.

Shizune was one of the nicest people he had ever known. She was almost apologetic when she issued orders, not like one of those pushy kunoichi who always felt they had to prove themselves in front of men. She was their team leader on this mission since Tsunade thought she needed the experience. But though she and Genma were somewhat involved, she was professional and let no trace of their relationship show. Despite her apparent docility, she was a smart and decisive team leader, but Raidou could see it was not natural and she had to make the extra effort to be assertive.

His friend was lucky to have someone like that. Though the two men were friends, they were not the type to compare little black books. Genma said little about how their relationship was progressing, leaving Raidou to wonder if it was working out better than his.

He genuinely liked Kaori. He wanted a woman like Kaori who seemed serious and intelligent, unlike the many silly giggling girls he'd encountered. She was nice, caring and considerate, unlike the many cold selfish kunoichi (with Shizune being an exception) he knew. He could see spending the rest of his life, albeit possible a short one, with the pretty little nurse. But did she feel the same? What if she didn't? How could he find out without making a fool of himself? He couldn't come out and ask her directly. That would put her on the spot and she'd be likely to say something she didn't mean. How else could he find out how she felt? He could ask Shizune, after the mission, he decided. Now would be inappropriate; even though they were returning to Konoha they were still on official duty and personal business had to take a backseat, he reasoned in his serious way.

At this thought, Raidou quickened his pace behind Iwashi. He wanted to get back to Kaori as soon as possible, before Kakashi could make more trouble.

Halfway to Konoha the team decided to take a break. But there was something wrong. They felt the presence of others with powerful chakra. They seemed to be coming from the other direction, from Konoha. The chakra felt unfamiliar, intense and evil, out of place in the peaceful woods. The two senior men went to investigate while Shizune and Iwashi waited for their report.

Raidou and Genma immediately recognized the four adolescents as Orochimaru's henchmen. The ones who set up the barrier around Sandaime. The ones who helped Orochimaru escape. There was no forgiving these punks. Nor could they be taken lightly. Orochimaru must have kept them in high esteem to rely on them for his plan to destroy Konoha.

A girl and three boys, the big kid carried a large barrel. What was in the barrel? Something clearly important. From Konoha? That's the direction from which they came. They were apparently headed north to Sound Village.

Genma observed, "From your direction, it looks like you guys are on your way back from Konoha Village. Steal something important? Maybe we should take a look inside that barrel."

The dark boy with his hair in a ponytail took a second to evaluate the two before replying, "Fighting against two jounin might be a little rough." He gave his comrades a look and a nod.

The air turned cold, as if the heat from the environment was sucked in to fuel their chakra. Black marks of varying design appeared across their necks and faces. Every one of Orochimaru's team had a cursed seal.

Kunai and senbon clashed. The powered-up Sound-nin were fast, very fast, but as jounin, Genma and Raidou were just that much faster and more powerful even as they each faced two enemies. But then there was another surge in chakra and the enemies started to morph…

Raidou woke to find himself lying in a hospital bed with bandages around his head and chest. His head hurt like hell and he ached all over. In the bed next to him was his friend Genma looking not much better. He couldn't remember much of what happened. That they were defeated by Orochimaru's minions was obvious. Shizune and Iwashi must have come to check on them and luckily for them, Shizune was an expert medic nin. If she hadn't been on their team, it was likely neither of them would have survived.

Who were those kids? What experiments did Orochimaru perform on them to produce such creatures? He shuddered as images came to him of a humanoid spider and demonic twins.

Seeing that they were now conscious, Iashi, the medic on duty immediately called Tsunade who wanted them awake for questioning as soon as possible.

"What happened?" Tsunade asked abruptly upon arrival, her green gambling robe opened in front and flowed behind her.

Genma spoke first. "We came upon four Sound-nin, the same ones who assisted Orochimaru in the attack months ago. They were carrying a large barrel. It must have been very important, they were apparently protecting it."

Tsunade nodded thoughtfully. "Uchiha Sasuke might have been in that barrel. I don't know why - seems a rather uncomfortable way to travel," she added flippantly

"Uchiha Sasuke?" asked Raidou in surprise.

"Yes, he left Konoha yesterday morning. I've already sent a team to retrieve him."

"Who?" both Genma and Raidou asked in concern.

"Uzumaki Naruto, Nara Shikamaru, Hyuuga Neji, Inuzuka Kiba, and Akimichi Choji."

"A bunch of genin?" said Raidou derisively and shook his head at her incompetence. Sure Shikamaru was smart and a chuunin, but he was a new chunnin with no experience and only one technique. There was no way a hodgepodge team like that could defeat the monsters they witnessed.

Genma calmly recommended, "If Uchiha Sasuke was in the barrel, then there's no way a group of genin could defeat them when we jounin were defeated. A special team should be formed to back them up."

Tsunade shook her head and said, "We can't since Konoha has lost power since the attack by Orochimaru. Jounin and chuunin have been sent to deal with threats to the country, both internal and external. Even if Orochimaru gets the sharingan, averting war with other countries is the top priority."

"But once Orochimaru regains his powers he'll immediately…" Raidou was about to say.

Tsunade cut him off. "I've already thought about it and I've made my decision."

Raidou would have felt better about her confidence in the genin team if she had not been carrying around a sake bottle.

Tsunade listened to the two men as they recalled their fight with the Sound-nin. After hearing about the second surge of chakra and their transformations, she looked more concerned. Still she said nothing about sending backup when she left.

Genma sighed, "I hope those kids will be okay."

"Yeah, the last thing we need is to fill up these hospital rooms, or the morgue," Raidou said cynically. He sighed too and lay back on his bed, thinking about how close he had been to death, again, and how much he missed as a shinobi. Life was fleeting, he realized, and he had spent it not taking any chances other than in battle. He never did anything on the spur of the moment. He always thought things through, and analyzed the possible consequences. Even in his relationships with women, it was hard for him to express his feelings because of his (well reasoned) fear of rejection. They found him cold and unfeeling, even before his face was damaged; all the while he wanted to get close but couldn't. Now he decided…

-…-…-…-

It had been a crazy couple of days in Konoha. First there was Naruto's and Sasuke's fight on the hospital roof, then reports that Sasuke had left the village, then Raidou and Genma were admitted to the hospital. The hospital became a very busy place, particular for the Head Nurse, Kuchiki Kaori.

Upon learning that Raidou and Genma had been injured coming back from their mission, Kaori immediately checked their status. They were in stable condition thanks to Shizune. She tried to analyze how she felt about possibly having lost Raidou, and had to guiltily admit to herself she was distraught not just because he had been injured, but because Kaori had planned to tell Raidou about her feelings for Kakashi, which she expected to lead to a breakup, but now she couldn't. Such a blow could set back Raidou's recovery and her patients' health always came first. But Shizune then assured her they were fine and recovering quickly, which meant maybe she could get it over with. After all, ripping off a band-aid was less painful than slowly peeling if off, wasn't it? Well, maybe not to the one who had to endure the sudden painful shock.

Lunch time had arrived and with it came time for Kaori to check up on her patients. She smiled at the two now conscious men as she set up their lunch on the movable collapsible tables. "Hope you're hungry. That means you're recovering well," she said brightly.

Raidou gave Genma a look that among men meant he needed some privacy.

"I have to use the bathroom and wash my hands first," Genma said as he slowly got up, ignoring his moaning painful joints, and made his way over to the little boys' room.

"Kaori-san," Raidou started to say when they were alone. "There's something I have to tell you."

"Well, actually there's something I need to tell you, too," Kaori said hesitantly as she moved his table over.

"Please, let me say this first. I know we haven't known each other very long, but I, um, care about you a lot. You probably don't feel the same way right now, which I completely understand with my face being as it is, but I want you to know that my intentions are honorable and I intend you make you my wife. That probably comes as a shock and I know you're not ready to give me an answer to something so important right now, but in time…" Raidou spoke quickly, afraid of losing his courage, afraid of Kaori's response.

What could Kaori say to that? The man actually wanted to marry her after only two dates. How could she break up with him now? How could she tell him about Kakashi? Of course she couldn't. Instead she forced a smile and said, "We'll have plenty of time to discuss this later. You've just been through a traumatic experience so you're probably not thinking too clearly right now…"

"But I am. In fact I already had these thoughts before my mission. I'm sure you're the right woman for me. You're intelligent and serious, beautiful and kind. You're an excellent nurse with a perfect bedside manner. I don't understand why some man hasn't claimed you already. I can't believe how lucky I am to have this chance..."

All the flattery went to straight to Kaori's head. How could she say no to something like that?

-...-...-...-...-

_Author's Notes: I adapted some of the lines from the anime/manga, but Raidou and Genma surprisingly were not bandaged up after their fight with the Sound Four._


	29. Kaori's Dilemma

_**Kaori's Dilemma**_

Was it better to love or be loved? One feeling was full of excitement and pain, the other of security and comfort. She had had enough of the latter; after all, in the end, it was not enough and she was still alone. And yet if the other option were not mutual, the result would be the same.

What to do, what to do? Accept Raidou's proposal or continue to pine after Kakashi? It was something she could not resolve independently. After agonizing over her decision, Kaori reluctantly decided to seek advice from external sources.

First she consulted her sister. Sumire always had a good head on her shoulders. She was reasonable and calm, not biased, and not crazy like their mother. After work, Kaori walked over to her house, planning to speak to her without the presence of their mother's prying ears.

Sumire and her family lived near the center of town in a three bedroom apartment on top of the beauty salon run by their mother. It wasn't because they couldn't afford a house, but because they wanted to be near the stores, schools and work. With three kids it was just too difficult to get around.

It was just before dinner, when Kaori knew their mother had closed up shop and returned to her own abode. Sumire was surprised to see her sister at her front door since Kaori rarely visited Sumire directly. They were both so busy and it was easier for Kaori to see everyone at once during their biweekly dinners. Sumire immediately deduced something was wrong. Kaori looked tired, defeated, as if a life changing, crushing dilemma was bearing down on her thin shoulders. It had to be men problems for Kaori to be unable to handle the situation.

Sumire knew that at work, her older sister was decisive and confident. With men, she wavered and faltered. Kaori could never decide whether she liked someone enough, whether they were good enough, for a long term relationship. Even worse was her indecision and inability to end a relationship even when it was obvious she was no longer interested. It would take some great faux pas on the man's part in order for Kaori to lose her temper and drop them like a hot kunai.

With the baby tucked in one arm, Sumire held the door open to allow Kaori to enter and waited patiently for her sister to explain herself.

"So, er, how's the kids," Kaori asked, thinking about how to broach the subject of her troubled love lide.

"They're fine. We're all fine. So what brings you here on a work day?" Sumire had no time to beat around the bush. The baby was fussing again. He squirmed in her arms and whined plaintively to be fed. The other kids could be heard arguing from the back bedroom, fighting over their hokage action figures.

"I, umm, haven't been exactly truthful lately about my relationships," Kaori started to say.

Sumire just nodded, not surprised. Her sister was honest in most things, but when it came to confronting their mother about her single status, the pressure was bound to get to her. She walked into the kitchen while Kaori followed.

"It all started when Hatake Kakashi was brought in unconscious," Kaori sighed at the memory of Gai with Kakashi slumped over his shoulders. "I sort of fell in love with him while I cared for him," she reluctantly admitted, then blushed when she recalled how she read Icha Icha books to her coma patient. "When you met him at dinner, he was doing it to return a favor I did him." Kaori didn't mention the blackmail part or the part about forcing him to recall facts about their fake relationship. "Then we were supposed to go on a real date and he invited me to the hot springs, but he stood me up. I thought he was out with the ramen girl so I broke it off with him, and went out with Raidou. But then I found out the ramen girl was going out with Iruka sensei, but then it was too late, but I think I'm still in love with him, but Raidou just proposed to me and now I don't know what to do!" It all came tumbling out, almost incoherently, but Sumire was smart enough to figure it out despite Kaori's manic speech.

She asked the most obvious question, "Is Kakashi sensei interested in you or not?" She balanced the baby on one arm and took out a bottle of milk from the refrigerator.

Kaori frowned and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure. That's the crux of the problem. He didn't seem to be at first, but then when I went out with Raidou we ran into him and he started interfering with our date and I had to tell him off." Kaori hung her head. "I'm such an idiot!"

"Have you seen him since?" asked Sumire calmly, ignoring Kaori's side ramblings. She poured some hot water from a thermos into a mug and placed the bottle of milk in it to warm it up.

"I ran into him a few days ago, but we didn't say anything to each other, but he wasn't mad at me or anything," Kaori quickly added.

"So tell me about Raidou." Sumire noticed most of Kaori's ramblings was about Kakashi. But there must be something about Raidou she liked or she wouldn't be having such a hard time.

"He's okay. We've only been out a couple of times. He was recently injured and now he thinks I'm perfect for him." Kaori took the bottle of milk and dripped a bit on her wrist to check the temperature. She placed it back into the warm water.

"So what's wrong with him?" asked Sumire, knowing that Kaori would find flaws.

"Well…he's just too serious," Kaori said. She did not want to mention his scarred face yet.

"What's wrong with that?" Sumire could not wait any longer for the milk to warm up. She stuck the bottle into the crying baby's mouth. How she wished her sister would offer to take the baby from her, but Kaori was too involved in her own problems.

"My job is depressing enough as it is. I need someone with a sense of humor."

"Gai sensei was pretty funny," Sumire laughed at the memory of Gai and the turkey.

"But _that_ was unintentional. I want someone with a good wry sense of humor."

"Is that the only problem?" Sumire carried the baby into the living and looked for a clear place on the sofa to sit.

"Well, he doesn't smile or laugh much at all." Kaori started to pace in front of her sister.

"Maybe you can make him smile," Sumire suggested. But in all honesty she didn't think her serious minded sister would be much fun.

Kaori shrugged at the suggestion and continued pacing and thinking.

"So why are you even considering his proposal?"

"Because…" She shrugged again. Kaori didn't want to say she was desperate to be married.

"The way I see it, mom's pressure has gotten to you. You don't want to marry a guy you don't love, but you don't have a relationship with the guy you do like. Just wait for the right one to come along. You still have time." In actuality, Sumire thought how the older you got the more difficult it would be to deal with kids.

"But what if the perfect guy never comes along?"

"He doesn't have to be perfect. He just has to have mutual feelings for you and vice versa."

"Sigh, you're no help at all." Kaori sat down on the sofa next to Sumire in defeat. A squeak came from under her bottom. She reached under and pulled out a rubber frog covered in drool. She quickly dropped it on the floor and wiped her hands on her nurses' skirt.

"Well, in that case, don't ask yourself whether you can love Raidou, just take it easy and let things develop. Don't analyze and judge every action. As for Kakashi, quite honestly, his behavior at dinner was…appalling. Either he was being obnoxious on purpose, or he's just an insensitive jerk. But if you still want him, just swallow your pride and tell him. Honestly though, I think you should give Raidou more of a chance," Sumire said impatiently. She was tired of telling Kaori the same thing every time she had a romantic crisis. Kaori never listened anyway and Sumire had more important things to attend to, like dinner for her family. "So, would you like to stay for dinner?" she asked more kindly, now feeling sorry for Kaori who only had an empty apartment to return to.

Kaori shook her head. Dinner with Sumire's family usually meant sitting through lots of yelling and screaming, spilt drinks and flying food.

And Sumire's suggestion, about staying with Raidou, was not what Kaori wanted to hear at all.

-…-…-…-…-

The next consult was with her friend Shizune whom Kaori saw for lunch the next day at the hospital. Shizune happened to be between missions and was staying in town since Tsunade required her advice because of recent the developments with the Sound and Sasuke.

The two women settled their trays on a small table by the cafeteria window. The room was nearly empty as they were having a late lunch. That also meant there wasn't much of a lunch selection and they had to settle for what other patrons did not want.

First they engaged in the usual small talk about their work and difficulties dealing with subordinates (in Kaori's case it was Otoha) and superiors (in Shizune's case it was Tsunade). Then Kaori not so subtly led Shizune into a discussion about Raidou vs. Kakashi.

"Do you mind if I ask how things are going with you and Genma?" Kaori wisely broached the subject through discussing Shizune's relationship first.

"Oh, no, that's fine. In fact, I'm glad to have someone to talk to. Umm, things are not really going anywhere. I don't know…he hasn't made any moves, but I haven't really encouraged him either. We only went out a few times before our mission together and we had to be professional during the mission. Then he was injured so…I wanted to let him know how much I cared, but Raidou was in the same room. But then again I'm not sure what I should be doing to let him know that I want to… you know." She blushed and played with remnants of her soggy yakisoba noodles.

Kaori was actually not that interested in Shizune's relationship with Genma at this point. She only asked to be politely curious. She did not want to give advice considering her own love life was a mess, but the proud authoritative side of her liked giving advice. "You mean you like him and you want him to know it?"

Shizune nodded and blushed again.

"You could try dressing more…revealing, tighter, but tasteful. Sit closer, lean in closer, smile a lot, that sort of thing. Take his arm when you walk around. Shouldn't be too difficult for him to get the message. All men are dogs." Kaori muttered the last part with a sigh.

"Huh?" asked Shizune innocently. Although she was experienced in terms of beating up men, she was inexperienced in terms of dating them.

"I mean, you'll definitely know if he's interested once he knows you are. Anyway, I have something I need your help with…" Kaori again launched into an abbreviated and censored version of her non-relationship with Kakashi and Raidou's proposal. "So what do you think?"

"Me? Well, I can't really…" Shizune stammered. She felt she was the last person to give any romantic advice.

But Kaori pressed her, "You know the two of them. Who do you think is better? Who would you rather have?" Kaori unconsciously stabbed her uneaten dry chicken breast with her fork.

"Well, I…I'm not you but…let's see. Hmm, well, I think they're both really nice. But…Kakashi-san is not very…Well, I don't know him very well, but he's kind of …strange. Raidou-san is a good person. I think I learned a lot about him during our mission together. I think he's the better choice in the long run. He's dependable and responsible, intelligent…"

"And serious," added Kaori with a sigh.

Shizune nodded, "And serious. Is that the problem?"

Kaori shrugged, then nodded.

"What's wrong with that? You're a serious person, too. So am I, and Hokage-sama, and Genma-san and…"

"But not all the time right?"

"Well, Raidou-san is not always serious. He smiled and laughed a few times at some things Genma-san said about Tsunade-sama's age and appearance." Shizune smile and recalled how Genma had said that in Tsunade's case, diligence and diplomacy had been sacrificed for beauty and bosom. "And conversely, Kakashi-san seems rarely serious. That could be a problem too based on your personality."

"What do you by that?" asked Kaori defensively.

"You're quite a serious person, don't you think? You don't smile and laugh and make jokes that often, do you? When you do smile, isn't it to be professional rather than because you're happy or thinking of something amusing? No offense, but I remember when we were kids and while the rest of us were running around laughing and playing, you were ordering us to follow the rules of the game. I think Kakashi-sensei would probably aggravate you once the initial infatuation wears off." Shizune hadn't meant to say so much, but in all honesty, she wanted Kaori to be with Raidou, that way she would have a closer friend. If things became serious with Genma, and his best friend Raidou was with her friend Kaori, why they could be one big happy not too dysfunctional family.

But Kaori was not thinking along those lines. She was annoyed that her friend had unexpectedly summed up her personality with great insight.

And that was not what Kaori wanted to hear at all.

-…-…-…-

Instead of listening to her two consults, Kaori resorted to consulting with her nemesis Otoha. This was practically her last resort. But Otoha always seemed happy or at least pleased with herself or her men. And she did not seem to have any intention of being permanently bound to a man. Maybe, at the sacrifice of Kaori's private life for public fodder, she could offer some insight.

So it was with great hesitation that Kaori casually asked, "Um, so how are things going with Gai sensei?" Kaori did not look at Otoha as she said this, but pretended to be going over some files.

Otoha perked up at the question. She had been bored with filing her already perfect nails, but now she stopped and smiled. "Great, but I think I'm ready to move on. I don't think my body can take much more…"

"There's more to a relationship than that."

Otoha shrugged in response. "He's exciting, nice and generous, I guess, quite a good catch for anyone who doesn't want a boring, predictable marriage."

"Well, umm, what do you think of Raidou-san and Kakashi-san?

Upon hearing those two names, which she knew were Kaori's latest men's, Otoha sat straight up. She immediately deduced that Kaori wanted advice from her, Konoha's resident expert on men. "Ah, Kaori-san, are you asking for advice from little o' me? Why what would I know about men? I thought you were the expert. After all, I only date your leftovers," Otoha said snidely.

Blood rushed to Kaori's head, half in anger, half in embarrassment. The veins at both temples throbbed convulsively. She said nothing in reply but the poor manila envelope she was holding was suddenly ripped in two.

Seeing that she made her point to her know-it-all boss, Otoha returned to her casual conversation mode and asked "So who's better in bed?"

"What? I don't know…I haven't… what kind of criteria is that?" protested Kaori with her face still as red as a ripe strawberry.

"The most important one! Otherwise, mind as well be a friend, like a female friend, not a boyfriend or lover or husband. What's the point of dating and not know if you're compatible in the bedroom? I mean, the whole point for someone like you, dating is to get married and have a big happy family, right? So you have to know what they're like in the bedroom."

That made Kaori stop and think. Otoha did have a point. She hadn't even kissed either one of them. What made her think either one was "the" one?

Since her superior had no retort, Otoha continued, "But in your case, based on what I know of those two, and I haven't slept with either one of them, I think Raidou is your best bet. He's more likely to be faithful from what I've heard." Otoha had chosen Raidou vindictively. She knew Kaori preferred Kakashi, but she did not want Kaori to get Konoha's most desirable bachelor.

But Kaori naively didn't realize the depth of Otoha's resentment. She believed her assessment was genuine. So that was it. Kakashi got three strikes. Kaori decided to let sleeping nin dogs lie and not pursue Kakashi again.

-...-...-...-...-

_Author's Notes: Just a couple of more chapters to go, probably. Thanks for the reviews!_


	30. Fate and Destiny

_Author's Note: This is basically a review of what happens in the manga/anime._

_**Fate and Destiny**_

Fate and destiny are strange, nearly undefinable and incomprehensible concepts. There are people who claim you can change fate with your own two hands. But wouldn't that be your destiny, to be able to change fate?

Was it fate for Uchiha Itachi to kill his entire clan? Then wasn't it Sasuke's destiny to become an avenger and Naruto's destiny to stop him?

And Kakashi's destiny to be futile in the face of tragedy.

-…-…-…-

"What?! What did you say? You sent only rookies to pursue Sasuke?" exclaimed Kakashi, uncharacteristically rattled. He was aghast at Tsunade's incompetence - sending a bunch of inexperienced rookies against Orochimaru's cursed seal team was more than stupid, it was irresponsible. He had heard that Sasuke had left the village upon his return from escorting the traveling museum exhibit.

Tsunade replied defensively, "I had no choice with the state of the village as it is, but I made necessary arrangements." She did not bother to explain to her subordinate that she had sent the sand genin team as reinforcements. After all, who was he to question the hokage's decisions? He didn't understand how she had to walk a tightrope between balancing internal and external affairs. Couldn't he see all the paperwork on her desk and all the scrolls piled up on the floor?

But none of that was Kakashi's concern. His concern was his genin. To hell with his next mission, he had to make sure those kids were all right. Kakashi turned away defiantly and was about to leave when Tsunade ordered, "Your next mission has already been selected." She held up a sheet of paper with a map, pictures of three wanted ninja, and "S class" at the top.

"I'll finish my business and come right back. Don't worry," Kakashi said coolly, blatantly ignoring Tsunade's orders. That mission could wait. Those felons were not important, not right now.

Tsunade knew she could not stop him. In her heart, she empathized with Kakashi. She really wanted to go out and drag Uchiha Sasuke back by his ear and give him a good public spanking lesson.

Once outside, Kakashi's remaining genin called out frantically to him. "Kakashi sensei, it's already been two days since Sasuke left the village, but Naruto and the rest who are pursuing him haven't returned!" Sakura's voice wavered with worry. She had been waiting impatiently for her sensei's return since Sasuke left, hoping that he could do something.

Kakashi could see the desperation in the girl's blue-green eyes, which currently looked red and wet. "Yeah, I know roughly what's going on," he said calmly, as if the situation hardly merited any attention.

"I…trust Naruto. I trust him, but if anything were to happen between those two…" she said, on the brink of tears again. What if one killed the other? What if neither one of them returned? Here she was, unable to do anything, just pathetically waiting for the outcome.

Her sensei placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and smiled through his mask. "Don't worry, leave the rest to me," Kakashi said with feigned confidence. He casually walked to the main gates of Konoha where he cut his hand with a kunai and performed the summoning seals. His loyal pack of eight nin dogs appeared before him in a great puff of white smoke. "I need you to scatter and track down Naruto's and Sasuke's scent," their master ordered.

"Naruto and Sasuke? What happened to those two?" asked Pakkun. The little pug was the smallest, but oldest and wisest of the pack.

"I'll explain later. It's an emergency right now. Once you've caught their scent, call me right away. I'll run right over. Okay, split!"

The dogs quickly ran off in all directions. Unlike his genin, the nin dogs never questioned orders, and after all the years of working together, they knew instinctively what was required.

Sakura had followed her sensei and secretly watched from behind a building, but Kakashi knew she was there. He also knew it was useless telling her not to worry when she had borne witness to the fight on top of the hospital, and the destruction it wrought. He did not bother to speak to her again.

Instead, Kakashi thought back to what happened after the fight. He had tracked down and tied up Sasuke, and gave him a lecture condemning vengeance, trying to make him see its futility, trying to get him to appreciate what he had in the present, not the past. But now Kakashi realized how he was the one who was too naïve. It really was possible for his two genin to kill each other.

How long did it take him to realize his own folly? And yet he had expected Sasuke to immediately take his words to heart. After Obito's death, guilt and revenge were the only things that drove him. With Obito's eye, he learned jutsu after justu, killed enemy after enemy, but that did not bring Obito back. That did not help against the Kyuubi when his sensei, his friend, his surrogate father, sacrificed himself. There was no one to take revenge against for his death; he could not blame the infant housing the demon fox. And when Rin died in battle, killed by some nameless, faceless enemy, Kakashi finally realized how futile it all was. Revenge, war, death, an endless cycle.

From a distance, the veteran shinobi heard a howl. He ran at full speed in its direction, pleading desperately to fate and the heavens, "Please, let me make it on time." But fate had never been kind to Hatake Kakashi.

He quickly caught up with Pakkun and the two continued to track Naruto's and Sasuke's trail through the deep woods. Pakkun also detected the scents of the other Konoha team members, four unknown scents (presumably of the enemy) and the scent of blood. Some scents had broken off from the others until only two remained, the only two of interest for him and his master.

After running for hours, the trail led them near a deep valley on the border of Konoha where Kakashi suddenly got a very bad feeling. Immense chakra, two different ones, even from this distance they made his blood run cold. And to make things worse, it started to rain. It was one of those rare sudden storms that came out of nowhere. One minute the sky was blue; the next minute the heavily rain had drenched the two pursuers from head to toe, or paw in Pakkun's case. Although the shinobi uniform was water resistant, it was not waterproof, and soon Kakashi felt the uncomfortable dampness on his skin.

"Damn, why now? The rain will wash away the scent," Kakashi complained, wondering if the strange chakra had anything to do with the sudden change in weather.

"We're close, this way," his little comrade replied. Undaunted, the two doubled their efforts. They ran toward the cliffs, where a waterfall rushed down into the lush green valley below.

First they saw nothing, as if the trail had ended with the targets disappearing in thin air. Then Kakashi saw something orange down in the valley. It appeared to be Naruto's broken body. Kakashi and Pakkun leaped down the cliff face toward the solitary figure lying by the waterfall's riverbank.

"We're too late," Kakashi said when he saw the prostrate form. His first desperate thought was that Naruto was dead. The rain washed rivulets of blood from the body. The clothes were torn all over. Yet upon closer inspection, he didn't see any obvious external injuries and realized to his relief that the nine tail fox demon's power had probably saved Naruto yet again.

Pakkun sniffed Sasuke's headband which lay on the ground nearby, trying to pick up his trail, but Kakashi had given up on Sasuke. He picked up the abandoned Konoha headband with the scratched forehead plate and placed it on top of Naruto's chest. "I'm sorry…I didn't make it in time," he said quietly to the unconscious boy. He then hoisted Naruto onto his back. This burden was not as heavy as the blame he placed upon himself.

Kakashi and Pakkun climbed back up the cliffs. They stopped to look down upon the valley below them and at the two towering statues that reached higher than the cliffs. The heavy rain continued pouring into the waterfall and the river below, as if the heavens were crying for the two orphaned boys, as if the heavens were trying to wash away all bonds to the earthly world.

"The Valley of the End…for Naruto and Sasuke to fight in a place like this…it's ironic," noted Pakkun.

Kakashi shook his head sadly. "When I watch this river flow, it's as if I'm seeing a battle that will carry on for eternity, never stopping. Like the fate of the two represented by these statues, who founded the village of Konoha. Naruto and Sasuke, your lives are like theirs," he said pensively, as if to himself.

Fate, destiny, coming full circle, and Kakashi had failed his comrades again.

The rain stopped just as suddenly as it had started. The sun's golden rays pierced the clouds, but did nothing to warm his heart.

"We can't follow his scent anymore. Besides, before we go after Sasuke, we should tend to Naruto," suggested Pakkun. Kakashi silently agreed and they headed back toward Konoha at a less frantic pace.

Naruto, despite his injuries, had a weak but steady heartbeat and his wounds were nearly healed. The jarring of his body, as it was carried on his sensei's back, rouse him from his healing slumber for a moment. He spoke in a tired, quiet voice that Kakashi had never heard before. "Kakashi sensei, where's Sasuke?" he asked.

Kakashi didn't answer. The words "I'm sorry. He's gone. I failed. It's my fault." choked in his throat.

-…-…-…-


	31. Kaori and Kakashi

_Author's Notes: Was away again for a couple of weeks, but managed to work on the story a bit. _

_**Kaori and Kakashi**_

After weeks of relative peace, chaos now reigned at the hospital. All staff members were on call. All leave was canceled until further notice.

Akimichi Choji and Hyuuga Neji were in critical condition. Choji's entire body was experiencing cellular breakdown due to the side effects of the special pills he took which were not only toxic, but also not really meant for such a young shinobi. Dozens of wires, which were hooked up to various monitors, ran in and out of his body. There was little the medical staff could do for him except monitor his vitals, give him sedatives to sleep and analgesics to ease the pain.

In intensive care unit 7, eight shinobi medics attended to the pride of the Hyuuga clan. Four of them sat at the corners of a complicated seal system drawn on the ground. The other four stood behind them. The group within the seal, led by Shizune (at Tsunade's request), channeled their chakra in unison to mend the gaping wound in Neji's shoulder. Three hours had already passed and the four medics were at their limit. The medics on standby switched off with those who could no longer channel enough chakra to aid the critically injured patient. Hyuuga Hiashi had made it a point that the Hyuuga clan would not be happy if anything happened to their strongest progeny, even if he was from the branch family. Fortunately for all, the hole in Neji's shoulder gradually started to mend.

There were other less critically injured shinobi, like Inuzuka Kiba and his little dog Akamaru. They still had to stay in bed but were luckily out of danger. And Shiranui Genma had been released, but his comrade Namiashi Raidou was forced to stay behind another day as his injuries were more serious.

Hokage Tsunade was unusually studious and industrious these days. It was always a tragedy when one of their own died on a mission, but it was a worse tragedy if they were brought in alive and nothing could be done to heal them. She, the legendary medic nin, was not going to let anyone die on her watch, especially not the young shinobi who represented the future of Konoha. She consulted her medical texts over and over, calling for various ingredients including deer antler and various herbs which she ground together. She then added solvent to extract the active ingredients, and reduced the solvent to concentrate the solution. There would be no time to test the antidote for Choji's condition; Tsunade prayed that it would work.

Head Nurse Kuchiki Kaori always felt useless at times like these. She had neither the chakra or talent to truly help with the critical cases. All she could do was run errands like getting Tsunade her esoteric ingredients. Still she did the best that she could to keep everything running as smoothly as possible, which included scheduling breaks for her staff and rotating people, having some of them rest, but still on call for any further emergencies. She made sure the less critical patients were taking their medication regularly, and were comfortable and had everything they needed. She tried to keep their spirits up by being cheerful, patient and understanding, even though she nearly bit through her lip when dealing with the presumptuous and demanding Hyuuga clan.

What distracted her from her perfect work were the rumors. Uchiha Sasuke had left the village, became a missing nin, and those critically injured boys currently on the verge of death had been trying to bring him back. Were their lives worth less than that selfish brat who thought nothing of his village and comrades, who yearned only for and lived only for revenge? Whispers blamed his sensei who did not see it coming, who did nothing to prevent it. Just like all those years ago when Orochimaru left. There were those back then, and even now, who blamed Sandaime. If only he had killed his former pupil, then Orochimaru would not have returned just months ago to wreak further havoc and destruction. It was one of the very few, but very black, blights on Sandaime's record as hokage.

"_Did you hear? Uchiha-Sasuke's gone rogue!"_

"_Uchiha Sasuke? That poor orphaned boy?"_

"_Who was his sensei?"_

"_That Hatake Kakashi. You know, the one who got his teammate killed and stole his sharingan."_

"_So he ruined another Uchiha?"_

"_What was Kakashi doing with him all this time?"_

"_Probably left him alone mostly."_

"_Some sensei he is. Probably corrupted the poor boy. Reading those porn books in front of him. Shameless!"_

"_Didn't watch over the kid at all. That lazy bastard's always just concerned with himself."_

Kaori had to keep her temper around those who said bad things about Kakashi. Despite her resolve to give up on him, she couldn't help having lingering feelings. Each time she heard something negative about him, her feelings were magnified. She wanted very badly to defend him to his detractors. How could they blame him? The boy was disturbed, ever since the massacre. It was noted in his Academy records, and the medical records recommended counseling. But no one had the time or expertise to counsel trouble young shinobi. The only thing they did at the Academy was give a general class on how to deal with death. What did they expect? It was not in Kakashi's job description to be a psychiatrist. She was sure he did the best that he could under the circumstances. But Kaori said nothing for fear of getting into a heated hysterical argument and for fear that people would think she was in love with Kakashi. So she bore Otoha's and others' gossip in silence, but she hated herself for lacking the courage to defend the man she still loved. She could not help but worry about what other people thought of her, what they said about her. She was a coward and she knew it.

The most recent rumors were that Kakashi was now in pursuit of his wayward genin. Of the team sent to pursue Sasuke, all but Naruto had returned, and all injured. There were speculations that the idiot Naruto had been done in by his superior teammate. Kaori prayed for everyone's sake that Kakashi would find Sasuke and Naruto and bring them back safe and sound, and prove to all his naysayers that he was a good, responsible sensei, not the lazy indifferent, irresponsible slack-off that he was purported to be.

It was now well past dawn. Kakashi had been gone almost an entire day. Kaori was already at the hospital looking over the most recent reports. Akimichi Choji and Hyuuga Neji were now in critical but stable condition. It seemed that the Hokage's ad hoc remedy had worked and Choji's cells were regenerating. Shizune and the team of medics were finally able to close the wound on Neji's shoulder. He was expected to recover nicely despite the great lost of blood and muscular damage.

Kaori sighed in relief. Despite not being fond of either clan, (The Akimichi clan had the worst, most horrific table manners and the cafeteria was always devoid of food after their visits. The Hyuuga clan would have made ideal medics, but healing was deemed a lowly profession compared to being a warrior.) the two patients were young and full of great potential, which always made it doubly difficult for her in the event of death._ 'Thank the heavens for the return of Shizune and Tsunade-sama,_' she thought. _'Now if only Kakashi would return with…'_

The main doors opened and a team of medics rushed in, followed by Kakashi carrying Naruto, who was still unconscious in his deep healing slumber. Kaori quickly ran over to see how she could help. The medics called for a gurney which Kaori immediately provided. Two of the medics took the unconscious boy from Kakashi and rolled him into the ICU where there were more medics and nurses standing by.

Kakashi stayed outside the door silently contemplating what to do next. His head and back were bowed despite having been relieved of his 90 pound burden. He looked tired, defeated, and alone. He let out a long sigh that seemed to carry years of regret.

In that moment, Kaori realized that she genuinely loved this man. It was not infatuation as her sister and Shizune had suggested, nor was he the product of her fantasy as she had argued to herself. She loved him for who he was, faults, failings, idiosyncrasies and all. And he seemed to have quite a lot of them.

Breaking the silence, Kaori ventured to say, "I'm sure he'll be fine."

Kakashi nodded and stood straight. "Please watch over him. I have a mission now." She did not ask where the other one was, and for that he was grateful.

"Of course," she said gently, wanting very badly to say something else, something more comforting.

He turned to leave.

"Wait…" She took a step toward him then hesitated. "It's not your fault," she finally said.

He looked back at her as if her presence just registered in his mind. The pretty little nurse with the red-brown hair pulled back in a bun, it seemed she was always there at the hospital, each time he had occasion to visit. She was always ready to help, always composed, always offering words of comfort to her patients. "You would say that," he said with a small smile. He turned back and disappeared from her sight without another word.

He knew he should have said "Thank you" instead, but words like hers were meant for someone who deserved it.

-…-…-…-


	32. Kakashi and Kaori

-…-…-…-

_**Kakashi and Kaori**_

Tracking down the three escaped felons and bringing them to justice took a bit longer than Kakashi had expected. Half a day going, half a day coming back, a few hours of tracking and another hour to capture all three. In his younger days, it would've taken no more than twenty minutes to capture them, and with less tracking time. Maybe it was because he planned more than he used to. Maybe it was because after so many battles he was in no rush to fight. Maybe it was because his heart was just not into another mission so soon after a failed one.

He had gone over the past year over and over in his mind. Where did he go wrong? He knew from day one that Sasuke's one and only goal was to get strong enough to take vengeance on his brother. Didn't he do enough to show him the importance of his comrades? He had spent a month training him one-on-one. Didn't he listen to anything he said? What else could he have done? Should he have been like Iruka and taken Sasuke out for ramen every week as Iruka did with Naruto? After all, Naruto had developed bonds with his teammates and village - and he had had no one while growing up.

It was now dusk and the cold black stone, engraved with a multitude of names, shone ever so slightly in the dying light. Kakashi stopped by the shinobi memorial before he made his way home. Although the Obito voice was always with him, he knew his friend was long dead and all he was doing was talking to himself when the Obito voice answered. But here at the shinobi memorial, it seemed more real, that Obito was truly answering him from beyond the grave.

He fixed his gaze on Obito's name, and recalled his friend's funny face and whiny voice. "You know, I now have comrades that I'm responsible for, that are important to me. But like before, I'm still full of regret. I couldn't do anything. Even with this eye, I couldn't see what was going to happen. If you were alive, what would you say to me now, eh, Obito?" angsty Kakashi said to the cold black stone.

"I would say: 'You're pathetic!' Moping around for days. Are you just gonna give up on that poor excuse for a Uchiha? I can't believe my clan produced two such idiots. And you're not much better."

"Sasuke made his decision, despite my advice. We can't track him any further without entering enemy territory and Konoha has other problems."

"Excuses, excuses, since when did you have so many? That was my area of expertise. So you're just giving up?"

"No, there's still time. We have a couple of years. Time to prepare, and get stronger." That was his goal - train, get stronger so that he could bring back Sasuke, protect Konoha, protect his precious ones. Except, when you came down to it, there were no more precious ones to protect. Naruto would soon be leaving with Jiraiya. Sakura would be training with Tsunade. And he would be alone again.

But he was used to that. After all, it was years before he passed a genin team. And they were together for only one short year. What was that compared to all the time he spent alone? Still, he knew he was going to miss them, all three of them, very badly.

During this time, the sun had disappeared and the moon made its full appearance. Kakashi slowly sauntered home. There was no need to check on Naruto. Two days had already passed since he found Naruto. In all likelihood, the nine-tail fox demon's power had already healed him. Naruto would be fine. And Kakashi was not up to facing his genin, or the nurse who had such faith in him.

Upon his return to his small empty apartment, he removed his shinobi gear and stripped off his dirty shinobi uniform, haphazardly leaving it all on the floor. He quickly stepped into the hot shower with steam obscuring the soap and shampoo. He stood there a long time, allowing the water to wash away the dust from traveling and the blood from battle, before he soaped up and made the effort to scrub his body clean. The shampoo made his scalp tingle in a refreshing way. He stayed in the shower for an extra long time, enjoying the cleansing feeling.

When he finally felt completely relaxed, he grabbed a towel to dry off, but frowned when he realized that it was not a fresh towel and he would have to do laundry soon. Kakashi sighed and wished he had someone to do his laundry and all his household chores for him. Being away so much of the time made it difficult. And during what little time he had for himself, he preferred to spend it reading and resting, not cleaning or cooking.

It was already very late, past the usual time for dinner for civilians, but not for shinobi who ate at irregular hours, or whenever they could, or often not at all. This appeared to be one of those times; there was nothing edible in his refrigerator. He had not been home for days. He had gone on that mission to escort the museum exhibition, then to track Sasuke, then this one. No break at all. And no real food. There was still a box of shinobi rations left, but after days of that, he could not stomach another bar. With a sigh, he rummaged through the kitchen cabinets, looking for something in a can that he might have forgotten about. The last thing he wanted was to go out in public to get takeout, subjecting himself to accusatory eyes, reminding him of his failure.

With great glee he came upon a can of tuna and some crackers. That would have to do for now. Fortunately, Tsunade gave him the next day off so he could run his errands. Actually, it was more like half a day. He promised to return for an assignment later in the afternoon. No rest for the weary.

Just when he was about to cut into the can with his can opener, the doorbell rang. Kakashi rarely received visitors. He thought it was probably one of his neighbors checking up on him to ask for the most recent news about Orochimaru or the Akatsuki. He almost decided not to answer the door but then realized if he told his story to one person, he, or she, would most likely spread it around to everyone else, thereby leaving him in peace in the future.

But he wasn't dressed except for the towel around his waist. He quickly ditched the towel, grabbed a dark blue robe from his bed, and slipped it on his nude body. He pulled the robe together so that the lower half of his face was still somewhat covered, then tightly tied it at the waist. He was finally ready to open the door after the third ring.

There she was again, looking exactly like she always did: the same white uniform that she wore at the hospital; her hair in its perfect bun without a stray strand; her pretty face with its serious visage.

The full moon shone behind her. A halo seemed to frame her. A heavenly glow emmanated from her. An angel, she was a perfect angel, an angel of mercy and forgiveness, an angel of bounty and sustenance. Kakashi observed hungrily that she had food with her. From the bag and takeout containers, it was Ichiraku ramen for two.

Kaori seemed to be surprised he was home, either that or she was uncomfortable being in his presence, for she stammered, "K… Ka… Kakashi-san, I just wanted to see if you were back from your mission. I wanted to let you know that Naruto-san's still sleeping, but his wounds have already healed and he's out of any danger." The truth was she had dropped by last night as well, hoping he'd be home, hoping for the chance to see him again, to offer him more words of comfort.

"Thank you for watching over him," Kakashi replied, while eying her bag. He wondered if one of the containers was for him, and if not, could he buy it from her.

"_Food? You're still thinking about food? You should be hungry for something else!"_ ranted the Obito voice.

"He was lucky you got to him in time," Kaori continued, unaware of Kakashi's unseen imaginary friend.

That struck a discordant chord within the veteran shinobi. Luck? Kakashi shook his head and gave her a small ironic smile. "My genin tried to kill each other, again. And I was too late to stop them. And Sasuke's...I'm afraid luck is a relative term."

"You did all you could. That's all anyone can do," she insisted, bravely looking into his eyes, willing him to accept her words.

"I knew. Orochimaru knew. I knew Sasuke wanted to leave, but instead of watching over him, I chose to go on a mission. Another damn mission. I should have taken him with me. He was my responsibility." Why was he saying this to her? These thoughts that had been dwelling in his mind for days, that he could not voice aloud to anyone but Obito. Maybe he needed to talk to someone real for once, someone who would understand him.

But what could she say? She knew platitudes meant nothing. She knew that he was not looking for absolution or any words that would alleviate his guilt. So the little nurse did the only thing she could do. She stepped toward him and wrapped her arms around him and gave him a comforting hug. A hug not from love or obsession, a simple passionless hug that she would have given to any of her patients. To her surprise, he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, a bit too tightly. Kaori held her breath, afraid that the slightest movement would cause him to release her from this fantasy.

She could hear her heart racing and the slow steady beating of his heart, calm as usual. She could smell the shampoo in his hair (a nice rainforest scent) and the soap on his skin (a manly pine scent) where the robe slipped open at the throat, while she smelled like hospital disinfectant. She could feel his plush robe against her starched uniform and his sharp chin uncomfortably on her thin shoulder.

They stood like that in the doorway for a long while, until Kaori could hold her breath no longer. She felt lightheaded from the lack of oxygen and from the closeness of the man she had wanted for so long. Her exhalation broke his trance. Embarrassed, he released her.

"It's getting late. I should go," Kaori started to say, even though there was no place else she'd rather be. "Unless…you'd like me to stay...for a little while…I have dinner for two." She held up the bag which trembled in her hand. She was afraid he'd take the food and close the door on her as he did months ago.

But this time, the man of her dreams reached out and grabbed her by the other wrist. "Stay," he said as he pulled her through the entrance.

That little while lasted all night.

-...-...-...-...-

_Author's Notes: I hope that's what you've all been waiting for. They're finally together! Just a couple of more chapters to go. I can't believe I've been working on this for so long. Thanks for reading and reviewing. The reviews have really helped me develop this much more than I would have._


	33. Unspoken Words

_**Unspoken Words **_

The Obito side won out this time as Kakashi swept Kaori into his arms. She offered no resistance - if anything she was returning his fervor with even more passion.

"Harder," she gasped. "I won't break," she added, impatient with his gentle caresses and soft kisses.

He readily complied as he slipped off his robe and carelessly tore at her clothes. But nurses' uniforms were made of very sturdy material, and expensive to boot, so practical Kaori escaped from his grasp to remove it herself.

As Kaori unbuttoned, unzipped, and unhooked, she took a moment to observe his abode, which was relatively orderly except for a pile of clothes and equipment lying by the bathroom door. The apartment was smaller than hers. The kitchen was a small alcove; the living room and bedroom ran together as one large room. There was no dining table, just a side table by a single arm chair. It looked as if he never had a guest. There were several shelves of books neatly ordered by author, except for the Icha Icha books which had a special place by the bed's headboard along with a couple of framed photographs of his teams. The full size bed had been neatly made, andlooked as if it hadn't been slept in for quite a while. The room was tastefully, though eclectically, decorated with a few paintings: a mountain landscape, an abstract piece of art, and a framed piece of calligraphy with the character for nin.

Her attention was drawn back to the matter at hand as Kakashi came up from behind her to undo her perfect bun. Her rich, vitamin-fortified, luxurious chestnut hair cascaded over her shoulders. His hands roamed across her front as he pressed himself against her back and kissed her neck and shoulders. She gasped at every touch; every sensation was magnified, even the damp tickle from his wet hair, because this was the man she wanted and no other.

Kaori had never slept with a man who hadn't told her he loved her. It didn't matter whether it was true or just a lie to get her into bed - she had to hear it. She had to hear it to see if she could respond to it in kind. And if she couldn't; could she, after sleeping with him? The answer was inevitable "no." All those men who told her they loved her, she did not love them, even after sleeping with them. Soon after, the relationship would fall apart.

This was different because he did not say those words, yet she was willing. Her body ached for his. She wanted to be part of him, to merge with him, to stay forever touching him. But her heart ached for those three little words he did not say, that she had always needed to hear.

'_This is what I've wanted all along. The feel of his lips against mine. The feel of his body against mine. The feel of him inside of me… Everything feels more intense and real than anything in the past. I love him and that should make this feeling perfect… but something is missing. He doesn't love me, does he?' _

Kaori was no fool. She knew he just needed someone at this moment and she happened to be there. He was using her like other men before him. But it was different, she insisted to herself. He was not using her to inflate his ego. He was using her like a lifeline thrown to a drowning man. And that was her job, to save people, selflessly, no matter what.

Was it selfish to want to be loved? All these years, was she the selfish one by insisting the man give his love to her while she did not offer her love in return? Was it selfish to want him to love her as much as she loved him? Could she be the selfless one now? Could she love him even if the feelings were not returned? All these years, being so self- centered had brought her no happiness. But loving him made her happy, even if it was a painful sort of happiness; there was no other feeling like being in love and making love to the man she loved.

So Kaori resolved to be whatever he needed her to be - friend, lover, caregiver, as long as she could be with him. She loved him and that had to be enough.

The cuddle time she was hoping for was interrupted by the rumbling from Kakashi's stomach. He laughed in embarrassment and explained he hadn't had a proper meal in days. Kaori gave him permission to eat instead; after all, his physical health was much more important than the emotionally fulfilling cuddle time. She watched him closely as he ravenously ate his seafood ramen in miso soup and then her ramen as well. His hair which had been wet looked even messier than usual, now matted from their bed play. But the rest of him was magnificent, from his perfectly curved high forehead to his exquisitely shaped long toes. It took all of two minutes for Kakashi to finish his meal, then he was back in bed with her, trying to pick up where he left off.

But unlike men, women like to talk in bed. That is when you have a guy's full attention. They will agree to just about anything once they're in bed.

Kaori wanted to discuss their new found relationship, if it could be called that, and tell him how she felt, but she was also smart enough to know not to tell the introverted man she loved him, for fear that would drive him away; she sensed it instinctively. Here was a man who did not want to be loved.

What she wanted to say was: "I love you, only you. I've never felt this way about any other man and I never will. I love you despite all the crazy things you say and do. I've loved you for months. All this time I was afraid you didn't feel the same, but you do, don't you?"

Instead she said, "I want you to know... this doesn't have to mean anything more. I just want to be there for you, when you need someone… I care about you, but it's okay if you don't feel the same."

Kakashi said nothing in reply.

* * *

It had been over a year since Kakashi took a woman to bed. He missed their soft curves, especially those of non-shinobi with their smooth unscarred skin, innocence, and naïveté. Before his genin team, he would take short breaks after completing missions, where he would transform to just a regular guy looking for a good time. The one night stands fulfilled his physical needs, but he knew there was always something missing. The handful of more long term relationships he had had, long ago, with women who knew who he was, all ended tragically, in one way or another.

He liked the pretty little nurse currently in his bed. Without her uniform, she no longer smelled like disinfectant, but of fresh floral soap mixed in with her natural sweet heady scent. Her breasts were small but firm and he could almost fit all of one in his mouth. Her body had good tone without being muscular. Her skin was soft and smooth with a delicate pink undertone. She was beautiful and feminine. But her response to his ministrations was neither delicate nor docile. She gripped him tightly as if she never wanted to let him go and met each push with an arch of her back, trying desperately to get even closer to him.

Her words had taken him by surprise. She did not declare undying love. She had made no demand. He did not know what to say in response. If she had told him she loved him, he would have had to give her the "it's too soon; you're moving too fast; it's not you it's me; you deserve someone better" speech.

He knew she was in love with him. That was obvious by the way she looked at him, blushing every time he met her eyes; by the way she smiled, almost nervously; by the way she touched him, almost reverently. Some women thought they saw in him an injured soul, who needed to be loved, thinking that would heal all wounds, that with their devotion he would open up to them and tell them his past tragedies.

When his father died, he built a wall around his heart. Letting no feelings show, he did not cry, not even at his father's funeral. He would not let anyone get close, not his sensei nor his teammates. Friends, he had none, just rivals. Not caring for anyone - that was what led to Obito's death. Then when Obito died, a crack appeared in the wall and he realized what a fool he had been. After a time, the crack mended and the wall still stood, but it was no longer rigid. It became a pliable and porous wall. Though he started to feel and care more for others, he still did not let anyone get close. Not even Rin who knew him better than anyone else.

But over the years, the wall that had softened, also grew, so thick and high, that even he the architect did not know how to scale them or tear them down. Now, as he looked at the woman lying with him, he wondered what he was doing with her. '_I care about you…_' Something about that line sounded very familiar. He recollected that voice in the deep recesses of his mind, the voice that persisted in the void where he dwelt for what seemed like an eternity, the voice that let him know that he was not alone, the voice that saved him from insanity, a voice full of emotion and comfort, _her_ voice. '_Wake-up Kakashi-sensei. There's a lot of people who care about you, who need you. I care about you. Please come back to us._'

So how did he feel about the woman who sat by his bed all those weeks? Her devotion to him during his coma, how she read to him books she normally would have never read, the sacrifices she made for him touched him deeply and he wanted to express his gratitude, yet he could not find the words or the proper emotion. Did he love her? Could he love her? He didn't know; despite his romantic books, it was a foreign emotion. She was someone precious - that he could admit. But still he said nothing.

It was so easy to slip away from reality, from life. Shinobi who knew nothing but battle had problems adjusting to peace once there was no one to fight. Some became missing nin, looking for more adventure, for another fight. Others like Orochimaru found other, even more destructive pursuits. Then there were those like Sasuke who had no one of importance in their lives - no one, nothing, to live for. Those often became self destructive. Kakashi felt he needed someone, someone real, to keep him bound to this earthly plane.

So he decided not to discourage her, to continue with whatever they had, until she grew tired of him, of his silence, of his foolishness, as ultimately she would. '_So let it be. Let's see how long this love she thinks she has for me will last.'_ Would she stay if she really knew who he was - a man incapable of returning any deeper emotion?

_'I care about you, but it's okay if you don't feel the same.' _

"I never said I didn't," he finally replied.

-…-…-…-

_Author's Note: This is the official ending, written when I hadn't planned to include Raidou. But now I can't leave him out there unresolved so I'll be adding a little epilogue to tie things up. _


	34. Raidou's Story

_Author's Note: Was going to throw this in with the epiligue but poor Raidou deserves his own little chapter._

-...-...-...-...-

_**Raidou's Story**_

Kaori was on cloud 9.9! Kakashi didn't exactly say those three little words, but he did admit he cared about her, sort of, which for a shinobi was almost the same, given how they were trained to control their emotions, the little nurse reasoned to herself. She was optimistic that in time he would tell her he loved her. But even if he didn't, knowing that he cared about her was enough - it had to be.

The only dark cloud on the horizon was she still had to break it off with Raidou. That was going to be difficult, but she had to do it as soon as possible, no matter what new maneuvers he came up with to trap her. That's how she always felt whenever she was with him - trapped. The way he always made her feel guilty, especially about his scarred face, and even his proposal were traps to ensnare her compassionate nature, intentional or not, and she had to stand strong against him.

Kaori had avoided visiting Raidou since his proposal and now he was due to check out of the hospital that morning. Kaori made sure she caught him before he left. "I'm glad to see you're all better," she said sincerely as she watched him pack up his shinobi gear and attach his pouch to his belt.

"Yes, thank you for taking care of me," he replied, but his tone indicated he was troubled by something and he did not look at her.

"There's something I need to tell you," they both said at once.

They stared at each other for a second then blurted out simultaneously: "I slept with…"

"…Kakashi!"

"…!"

-...-...-...-...-...-

_Last night while Kaori visited Kakashi…_

Raidou was in a more than usual bitter self-pitying mood. He had not seen Kaori since his proposal and it seemed that she was avoiding him. He knew he was taking a chance when he told her of his feelings and it seemed he lost the gamble. And since then, he had heard rumors about her and Kakashi. She must have been on the rebound when they dated and there was nothing worse than being involved with a girl who had been in love with someone else. It wasn't fair. Why did women always fall for the cool, good looking guys?

He was in the middle of cursing his continual bad luck when he heard the noise.

It was late and most of the hospital staff had gone home. Shizune was off to see Genma who was recovering at home and on light assignment duty. Only the skeleton crew remained, and Hokage Tsunade.

Tsunade was in a relatively good mood for once. Shikamaru's team members were now all on the road to recovery. The promising genin, the future of Konoha, was preserved. So what if they failed to retrieve that Uchiha traitor. Sasuke and Orochimaru could be dealt with later. They were all safe and alive and that was cause for celebration.

Which meant more sake! And more sake! And more sake…

Without Shizune to stop her, Tsunade drank way too much. All day she had been in the hospital library archives researching, then monitoring the injured genin and adjusting their medication. Now it was time to relax. The hospital had a supply of super high alcohol content sake used as a solvent in extracting medicinal elements from plants and to dissolve drugs and to administer medicine in a palatable form. It was not really meant for drinking straight out of the bottle, but that didn't stop her. Over the years, Tsunade had developed a very high tolerance for alcohol, even higher than Gai's, but a couple of bottles of the 90 proof sake finally did her in.

"I've been a wild rover for many a year! And I spent all my money on sake and beer! And now I'm returning with gold in great store! And I never will play the wild rover no more. And it's no, nay, never… no nay never no more, will I play the wild rover, no never no more!" Tsunade sang as she roamed aimlessly through the hospital halls.

"Shut up! There's injured people here trying to sleep. What the hell's wrong with y…" Raidou growled as he got out of bed to investigate what sounded like a cat yowling in pain. He stopped as soon as he realized it was his boss.

The two glared at each other angrily. Raidou saw the sake bottle in her hand and smelled the astringent on her breath and thought how all his concerns and criticisms about Tsunade being Hokage were validated. Tsunade thought how this lowly subordinate dared to insult her glorious singing. Neither was willing to yield an inch.

Tsunade finally sneered, "You, you're that loser on Shizune's team who lost to a bunch of kids from the Sound. Jounin, hah, that team of genin did better!"

"You, you're a lousy excuse for a hokage. The other hokage are all turning over in their gra…in the Death God's stomach. In fact, your personality is sour enough to make the Death God hurl!"

"How dare you…you insolent boor!"

"Old hag!"

"Ugly oaf!"

"Fake boobed wannabe slut!"

"That's it!" That was the final straw. Tsunade pulled back her right arm and threw a punch as hard as she could. But being drunk made her unstable and Raidou was able to easily dodge it. Tsunade fell forward but she reached out with her left arm and grabbed Raidou by his hospital gown.

The two stumbled into the room. Raidou found himself on top of his boss and her very plushy bosom. Tsunade found herself under a half naked man with very fine pecs.

What man or woman could say no to a situation like that?

-----------------------

Author's Notes: 

_Wild Rover is an Irish drinking song._

_Shochu is a distilled liquor (up to 90 proof) made from either sweet potatoes or rice and is a pure white liquor often compared to vodka. Sake is not distilled and has an alcohol content like beer. But I used sake since most people know what that is._

_Was considering GenmaxRaidou (there aren't enough kunoichi to go around). But now Tsunade can fix Raidou's face and Shizune gets her dysfunctional family:_

_There's going to be an epilogue and maybe another chapter before the epilogue. Lol, I can't seem to finish this story. Maybe I don't want to ;)_


	35. Otoha's Story

_**Otoha's Story**_

Otoha found her superior in an unusually light mood when she came in that morning. Kaori was humming to herself and made no comment about Otoha being late or not finishing processing yesterday's files. In fact, Kaori was practically glowing. Otoha was already for a fight. She had a list of excuses and sarcastic comments. All wasted now that Kaori was happy.

'_She must have gotten laid last night. I wonder who it was. Couldn't be Raidou, he's still in the hospital and she's not the type to do it at work. She doesn't know what fun she's missing. The only other man she's interested in is Kakashi…no way! She finally got him? That elusive…"_

Otoha just had to know if her suspicions were true. After saying a pleasant, but insincere good morning, she settled down and quickly finished her work from yesterday and then started on today's stack. She could work very efficiently when she wanted to, which was as rare as Naruto turning down ramen. Otoha wanted to keep her boss in a good mood so she could think about how to best find out about Kakashi.

"I'm sorry about not finishing the files yesterday. I'm done now and I should be done with the most current stack soon. Here's Raidou's file. I think he's supposed to check out this morning. Are you going to see him before he leaves? And don't you have something to tell him?"

That immediately placed a damper on Kaori's good mood. She was trying to avoid the inevitable, but now that Otoha had brought it up…wait did she know about Kakashi? How could she…? No, she must mean Raidou's proposal.

"You'd better tell him about Kakashi," Otoha prompted, taking a shot at the truth. She always preferred the direct approach. That definitely hit a nerve as Kaori turned red and her good humor vanished.

"How d…did you…?" Kaori stammered.

"It's written all over your face. So how was he? Is he everything you ever dreamed of?"

"Well, actually…y... You're right. I have to tell Raidou, now." Kaori abruptly got up and discontinued their talk, partly because she needed to see Raidou before he left and, because she did not want to discuss Kakashi with her rival any further.

Otoha smiled in satisfaction. She got enough information to make up a nice juicy story to spread around the hospital and then the rest of Konoha. Kaori had apparently slept with Kakashi and he was good enough to satisfy her in bed…

But Kaori returned in a troubled mood. It seemed that her break up with Raidou did not go well. Otoha's radar beeped again. She just had to know more. She put on her most concerned sympathetic face. "Are you okay? I know breakups can be hard…"

"How can a man propose one minute and sleep with another woman the next minute? What kind of man would do such a thing?" sighed Kaori, almost to herself.

"What kind? You mean what kind wouldn't. I guarantee that even married men can be easily seduced, and I would know. Wait, did Raidou…with who?"

Kaori did not reply. Instead she was thinking about Kakashi. Would he? Would he sleep with the next big busted woman that came along? She had thought that his admitting that he cared about her was akin to love, but what if it wasn't? What if it didn't mean anything at all? But she shook her head at those thoughts. She had had her doubts about him, but no more. She would believe in him no matter what.

Otoha read into Kaori's silence. She knew Kaori did not really care about Raidou. Kaori was probably thinking about Kakashi and whether he would be faithful. Ah, poor naïve Kaori probably thought he would be. But Otoha knew any man could be turned. It just took the right approach and the right timing.

Later that day when Kaori was making her afternoon rounds and Otoha was reapplying her makeup after lunch, Kakashi dropped by. He had just been given a mission by Tsunade and wanted to inform Kaori that he would be out of town for a couple of days. He wasn't sure whether he had to inform her, but it seemed like the right thing to do after last night. But Kaori was not at her desk. Instead there was the buxom brunette with the red lips and redder nails.

"_Oh my, she's hot! Just look at those…they must be at least ten times larger than the nurse you were with last night," said the Obito voice. "I'll bet we could get some sound sleep sleeping on those. They look much more comfy than your pillows."_

"_Stop that!" Kakashi ordered angrily. "W…I'm with Kaori now."_

"_Hey, when did we decide we were going steady?"_

"_There's no we. I make the decisions, so shut up."_

At this point Otoha looked up from applying her lipstick. She smiled her most softly seductive smile and said, "Kakashi-sama, you're looking well. What brings you here today?" She got up from behind her desk and walked demurely toward him, and slowly got closer and closer, invading the comfort zone of his personal space, but he did not step back. "Is there anything I can do for you? Anything at all?" She leaned into him, showing off her cleavage.

"_Man, just look at those! How could you not be tempted?" said the Obito voice._

"Umm, just tell Kaori-san that I'll be away on a mission for a couple of days."

"Oh, are the too of you involved?"

"Er, yeah, sort of," he said noncommittally.

"How involved? Is there any chance for me?" She looked up at him with large liquid adoring eyes framed with thick long lashes.

"_She's scorchin' torchin' hot!"_ said the Obito voice.

This was it. Kakashi had to make his decision. What was he doing with Kaori? Did he want something more than a one night stand? If he took Otoha's offer, Kaori would never forgive him. It would end things without him having to say a word. But he couldn't hurt her like that. Not after all she had done for him and what he had put her through.

"Sorry, I have to go. Just relay my message, thanks." Kakashi was gone in a blink of an eye, leaving nothing but a puff of dust behind.

Otoha had observed Kakashi carefully. He had made no indication that he was aroused or interested in her. He had stood his ground and didn't even flinch. Not one drop of sweat. Impressive, it seemed he really was devoted to Kaori.

At first Otoha was annoyed and jealous, that Kaori was able to attract such a fine male specimen, the elusive number one bachelor in Konoha. But then she realized, Kaori in a good mood made her a better boss, one who would not nag her about her work. With that thought, Otoha relayed Kakashi's message when Kaori returned, and added, "You're lucky. I think you have the single most loyal man in Konoha. I can tell he's completely devoted to you."

Otoha's effusive compliments made Kaori wary rather than secure. "How would you know?" she asked abruptly.

"Well, I tried flirting with him but I could tell he wasn't the least bit interested. Not even a sidelong glance, not a drop of perspiration. In fact all he could talk about was you."

"Really?" Kaori was wary but she really wanted to believe her.

"Yeah, he said he was only interested in being with you and told me to leave him alone." Otoha pouted petulantly to add believability to her words.

Somehow Otoha's words offered no comfort. The seed of doubt and been sown and was flourishing in her insecurity. How could Kakashi not be the least bit attracted to Otoha? There were even times Kaori couldn't help but think that if she were a man she'd be attracted to her. Why would Kakashi prefer her flat chest to Otoha's mountains? Maybe he was really gay or latently gay and didn't know it. Her figure was much more like a boy's compared to Otoha. Then she shook off these preposterous thoughts and insisted to herself Kakashi preferred her because she was a better person and body and looks didn't mean everything. Still, not the least bit?

"So, it's serious?" Otoha prompted, trying hard to read Kaori's thoughts.

Kaori shrugged. "We're taking it slow. What about you and Gai?" She tried to divert attention back to Otoha's relationship.

"I decided I'll stick with him," Otoha smiled. "Like I said, men are pretty much all the same in bed, but he's great. He's also rich and generous and not too bright. He's away a lot so I can do anything I want and get away with it. It's really a perfect relationship for me."

Kaori was barely listening. She was still obsessing over what Kakashi's exchange with Otoha meant. Did he really mean he cared about her only? It didn't seem like he was that serious last night. And if Kakashi could be so cold toward Otoha, would he ever warm up and open up to her? She loved him, but how long would he stay with her when he had so little attachment to others?

---------------------

_Author's Notes: Next up the epilogue, for real, probably._


	36. Chapter 36

_**Epilogue**_

Someone was crying in the distance. The crying became louder and higher pitched the longer he ignored it. He felt a shove from his left side and found himself on the floor.

Kakashi groaned and slowly stood up. The incessant wailing reverberated in his head until he felt his brain about to explode from the noise and the lack of sleep. He had never had a more difficult mission.

He walked over to the next room, the source of the noise. The room was smaller than his, painted light blue and decorated with fluffy white clouds - not his choice of colors. In fact, it seemed he had little control of anything in his life anymore. He sighed and bent over the crib to pick up the small bundle and lifted it into his arms.

"Umm, okay now. You can stop crying," he said to no avail.

The bundle squirmed in his arms as he performed the usual checks: diaper, not wet or stinky; clothes not confining; temperature appeared to be normal; which meant it was probably just hungry again. But how could that be? It had just been…he checked the clock on the dresser… less than an hour. He sighed again. It had been like this for days - incessant crying with no apparent reason. It wasn't a whimpering cry either, but a full blown top of the lungs completely freaked out type of cry. There had to be something wrong with it.

But despite the hardship, this child was his, his legacy, a more important legacy than his chidori.

As if sensing his thoughts, the baby suddenly stopped and opened his eyes.

But the eyes were not like his dark gray eyes, nor his mother's hazel eyes. They were red and black and now they started to spin.

He felt himself freeze. The bundle slipped from his grasp, but he was unable to move to catch it or call to its mother for help.

-…-…-…-…-

Kakashi woke from his dream/nightmare to find an empty space next to him. Kaori had already left for work, but she left a note for him by the alarm clock.

"Don't be late this time. Remember to bring something. Be nice and don't do or say anything weird!" the note read.

"Yes ma'am," Kakashi said with a smile. He was going to behave himself this time, really.

It had been four months since they got together. Kaori now felt secure enough to invite Kakashi to the family dinner again. Her parents were not thrilled at the news she was bringing Kakashi again, but someone in their daughter's life was still better than no one at all, no matter how weird.

Kakashi was about to open the refrigerator to rummage for some food (Kaori did not make him breakfast) when he saw another list (itemizing all the chores and errands he had to do) taped to the refrigerator door. He sighed. It was supposed to be his day off and he had planned to do absolutely nothing (except read his Icha Icha books) until dinnertime. But it was a fair trade since he had effectively moved into her apartment.

He had found himself visiting her directly after missions. Sure, there was the bed play, but there was also something else - the company, the feeling of being accountable toward someone, the need to belong to someone. The time spent in his own apartment was now minimal. He had an extra change of clothes and of his shinobi uniform at Kaori's, which she laundered weekly to his delight. This also meant lower utilities for him and higher utility bills for her.

After doing all the chores (fix the leaky faucet in the kitchen, separate the recyclables, clean the bathroom) and running all the errands (pickup some groceries, drop off some mail, checkout what was on sale at various stores) Kaori had left for him, he started to get ready for dinner.

This time Kakashi carefully combed and slicked his hair back, but the forelocks stubbornly insisting on standing up. He applied the super hair gel concentrate Kaori had given him. She swore by it as it was what kept her hair in its perfect bun, without a stray strand, and was what Otoha made Gai use on his hair. It had excellent holding power but kept hair soft and non-sticky. A miracle gel! It even worked on his hair.

He dressed himself in normal civilian type clothes, a white with blue pinstripe shirt and black slacks, all wrinkle free thanks to Kaori's obsessive efforts to make him look more presentable. He decided to leave his sharingan uncovered and just keep the eye closed as much as possible rather than wear the headband which, as Kaori pointed out, did not go with his civilian clothes. He looked at himself in the mirror and decided he looked quite respectable. Lastly, before he made his way over, he donned a black leather jacket and wrapped a white silk scarf around his face.

Yes, this time he was going to be good. Kaori had educated him on why her family liked Gai and encouraged him to be like him. He would charm them with his wit, impress them with stories of his missions; he bought gifts for everyone; he would be just like Gai. For some reason, that thought made him shudder.

Then he thought of the disturbing dream he had last night. Dating seriously, moving in, living together, were normally done with the intention of marriage and family. Was that what he really wanted from life?

Life was always complicated - from the time humans achieve self consciousness, from the time they realize they can, and others can, die at any moment. To compound that complication, relationships between men and women were always difficult and being a shinobi made it doubly difficult.

Shinobi were taught to mask their emotion. To feel no regret when killing, to feel no pain when comrades were killed. To die completing a mission successfully was a glorious death. But holding back feelings became the norm even off duty, which meant communication with a loved one was problematic.

With a civilian, how could a shinobi talk about his work, his missions, his killing methods, his development of more lethal jutsu? How could a civilian understand or care to hear the bloody details?

Then there were the kunoichi, limited in number, with a ratio of 4 men to one kunoichi. Most were bad tempered, jaded, another version of himself, few maintained their naïveté or gentleness.

But Kaori was different for she fell somewhere in between - a shinobi nurse, someone who was used to death, yet never killed, who was able to keep her innocence; someone who would not judge him or flinch away from blood and the necessity of killing.

He felt comfortable with her, a nice comfortable relationship. So why spoil it with talk of undying love, which happened only in books, because love dies when one party dies, and that was the truth.

He shook his head. No it wasn't. Love continued in the surviving loved one. And in their progeny.

Love. Did he really love her? For her he had agreed to dress like this. For her he had remembered to send an expensive floral arrangement and chocolates to her mother (Gai had only sent flowers) despite the ridiculous cost. He had put together a portfolio of profitable companies in Wave Country with investment opportunities for her father. He had even read a number of books on disciplining and dealing with children. (He liked the reverse psychology approach best. It was so…duplicitous.) He did all that because it was important to her that her family liked him. He did it because he probably did love her.

He could smell her mother's cooking as he approached the house. He could hear laughter and raised voices. He could see her family through the window, gathered around in the den. Family. To be part of a real family. Something he had never known. Something he yearned for without knowing. That's what he wanted, his own family.

With that consideration, Kakashi committed himself to Kaori.

He smile genuinely as her family welcomed him.

-…-…-…-…-

_Author's notes: Sorry for taking so long with the epilogue - been busy with the hoidays, but I'm finally done! This is it, though I won't rule out the remote possibility of a sequel. Thank you all for reading and reviewing!_


End file.
